Keys to the Contract
by Dragonexx
Summary: That which is caged yearns to be free. That which is broken yearns to be whole. For all things, there is a key. After one such key comes to Madoka, it sets her on the path to discovering the truth.
1. Awakening

**Chapter 1**

**Awakening**

* * *

Madoka was falling. And she had no idea how she had gotten into such a situation. Everything around her was pitch black, though she could see her own body perfectly, as if it was in a bright sunny day. The wind rushed around her, screaming in her ears yet, oddly, she didn't feel afraid. Everything felt like it was right. All, part of the plan. All, in order…

She began to slow, and found herself falling through some strange world. It looked like some sort of cut and paste art project, loosely resembling a garden. Strange cotton balls with mustaches and butterflies for legs tended to the flowers. They didn't notice her as she fell past them, through the floor, and back into the darkness.

It wasn't long before she slowed, and fell through another world, this one made almost entirely of sweets. The smells made Madoka's mouth water as she drifted through it, noticing more strange creatures, these some odd fusion of dog, biscuit, and macaron. Soon enough, she was gone from the sweets world, to her mild disappointment.

She was falling faster now, passing through a world comprised of floating screens with creatures like artist pose dolls with faces and wings. She felt a twinge of fear as she passed, but she was out before long.

The next few passed quickly, a small area that resembled a childs playroom drawn mostly in crayon, the next some sort of hill with a monstrance, resembling an ink painting of some sort.

Then came the concert hall. A ghostly orchestra played a haunting and sad song, and Madoka's eyes filled with tears as she listened. Her fall slowed, and slowed, until she was only ever so slowly drifting towards the ground. This place seemed very familiar, but also wrong. Like she had failed somehow, but she didn't know why.

As he feet gently touched the ground, it cracked like glass. The cracks spread, as light shot forth from between them. And then it began to shatter. The walls began to collapse, as a blinding light shone through. Madoka saw a brief flash of a towering creature upside down in a dress, it's lower body made of gears. It rushed towards her, and Madoka reflexively closed her eyes.

Nothing happened. When she opened them, she was now standing somewhere completely different. On a platform that looked to be made out of stained glass lit from within, almost like a church of some kind.

However, the image it depicted was a complete shocker. It was _her!_ Madoka saw herself asleep in the stained glass. She looked so peaceful. Around her were images of her friends. Kyoko, Sayaka, Mami, Nagisa. However, in addition to them was… _Homura?_

She had never though of the girl as her friend, she was so distant to everyone, but here she was, though her image seemed to be faded and washed out compared to the others.

_So much to do, so little time…_

"What?" Madoka asked. It was a voice, but also, not a voice. Silent, yet she heard the words all the same. It felt familiar, like an old friend, though just out of the reach of memory.

_Take your time, don't be afraid. Completion is still not yet at hand. Step forwards._

Madoka did so, and then three altars appeared at the edges of the platform. On each was something different. A sword, a rod, and a shield.

Each had some sort of symbol, three circles loosely resembling a mouse, either emblazoned upon it or worked into the design.

_Power sleeps within you. If you give it form, it will give you strength. Choose wisely._

"O-okay." Madoka wasn't sure she should be listening to voices in her head, but considering as she saw nothing else _anywhere_ she might as well play along.

She first stepped over to the sword. When nothing happened, she cautiously touched it, and then took it by the hilt. It was surprisingly light, and felt almost normal in her grip. She gave it a few practice swings, and found it incredibly easy to wield, the sound of it cutting through the air satisfying. The not-voice spoke then.

_The Power of the Warrior… Invincible courage… A sword of terrible destruction… Is this the power you seek?_

"I'm not… sure." Madoka said. She liked the idea of invincible courage, but it seemed it could be blinding as well. And the terrible destruction. She didn't like that at all.

She very carefully returned the sword to it's pedestal, and went to the next, the one with the rod, taking it into her hands.

_The Power of the Mystic… Inner strength… A staff of wonder and ruin… Is this the power you seek?_

"Hmm…" Madoka considered the rod. It was light. Even lighter than the sword, and it tingled slightly but pleasantly in her hands. When she swung it, she heard a glimmering sound, and small motes of light trailed in it's wake. She giggled slightly. They were pretty to look at. Inner strength, she wondered if she even had something like that. The power of wonder and ruin. It seemed familiar, but wrong… off.

Madoka returned the rod to the pedestal and headed over to inspect the shield. As she took it into her hands. The shield almost seemed to naturally raise itself, as if it wanted itself to protect her from harm. She rapped her knuckles on it's surface, and it hummed pleasantly while also feeling incredibly solid.

_The Power of the Defender… Kindness to aid friends… A shield to repel all… Is this the power you seek?_

Madoka wanted to, but as she thought about it. She wasn't really much help to her friends at all. She always felt like the third wheel. Kyoko and Sayaka got along fairly well. Nagisa and Mami were like sisters. Heck, Nagisa, Mami, and Kyoko were basically a family ever since they lost their own, and Sayaka had known Hitomi and Kamijou since childhood. She was always the one sitting at the side, the tag along. And to repel all? Would she be alone forever? She blanched at the thought, and returned the shield to it's pedestal.

She stepped back into the center of the platform, looking between the three pedestals. The choice was clear.

Madoka approached the staff, and took it into her hand. She felt a connection. Inner strength. It felt necessary, like there was something lacking in her. Something that should have been there, but was missing. She'd been feeling like that for a long while. Perhaps this would help.

_The Power of the Mystic… Inner strength… A staff of wonder and ruin… Is this the power you seek?_

"Yes." Madoka answered, more confidently than she expected of herself. Suddenly, the staff vanished in her hands in a flash of light. Had she done something wrong?

_Your path is set. Now what will you give up in exchange?_

Her vision turned to the other two pedestals. Unlike the first, this decision was fairly simple. She still wanted to aid her friends. She walked over to the sword. The voice was silent, until she remembered to pick it up again. This time, the sword felt heavier, weighing her down. It's tip clanged to the ground, where it struck a spark against the stained glass floor. She could barely lift it.

_The Power of the Warrior… Invincible courage… A sword of terrible destruction… You give up this power?_

"Yes." Madoka said. The sword vanished. The not-voice answered.

_You've chosen the power of the Mystic. You've given up the power of the Warrior. Is this the form you choose?_

"Yes." Madoka answered. She suddenly stumbled. The platform she was on began to crack split apart. And she was falling again, into the darkness.

She soon enough saw a second platform similar to the first one. Again, it held sort of stained glass depiction of herself. This time however, she was dressed differently. She wore a pink frilly dress with a bubble skirt, knee high socks and red shoes. She carried some sort of bow and appeared to be aiming it at some far off target.

_I look like some sort of magical girl, like from an anime. _Madoka thought with amusement. It was kind of ridiculous. Around the image of her were depictions of incredibly bizarre creatures. A butterfly mixed with a flower bouquet. A doll with a head like a candy wrapper. A mermaid in armor with a massive sword and surrounded by wheels. A shadowy girl praying. A lonely creature atop a horse. A ribbony girl in a dress. A spider made from human limbs in a school uniform. They were all so strange. There were also others, though the platform was cracked, damaged, the cracks obscuring them.

As she landed, she felt the platform shake a bit, and she almost lost her balance. The cracks widened, and then closed, and then widened again. As if it was being broken and fixed repeatedly. The not-voice spoke again, though it was likewise broken and difficult to understand.

_You… for-… hurry!_

A door appeared, as the platform began to shift again, Madoka struggled to keep her balance as she rushed towards the other side, barely managing to grab onto the handle as the floor beneath her suddenly dropped. She hung onto the handle with all her strength, dangling above the darkness while the pieces of the platform violently shifted around. Her breathing intensified as she struggled. She had fallen before, but now, she got the feeling that she _really _didn't want to fall here.

Eventually, one of the shards moved beneath her. She dropped down and quickly opened the door before it could move again.

A light shone out of the door, blocking Madoka's vision, and forcing her to shield her face. She was momentarily blinded. When her vision returned, and she blinked the spots out of her eyes, she found herself in a familiar setting. Mami's apartment. Had she fallen asleep?

She was sitting on the couch, like she did most days after school, where she and her friends would talk, study, joke, and generally hang out. Currently, Mami was sitting next to her, while Sayaka reclined across from them on a couch. However, instead of Kyoko or Nagisa, that Homura girl sat on the floor in the distance, seemingly gazing out the window. That was strange, what was she doing here?

She was about to ask when Mami turned to her. Her gentle smile and her heavy-lidded eyes projecting an aura of calmness that could always put her at ease. "What's most important to you?"

"Huh?" Madoka asked. That was never something Mami had asked her.

"What's most important to you?" Mami asked again. The same tone. The same expression.

"What kind of question is that?" Madoka said.

"What's most important to you?" She asked again. The tone still hadn't changed.

Maybe this was some sort of joke? Were they playing a prank on her? She was about to give some sort of silly answer, but the words stopped in her throat. She couldn't. Somehow, Madoka got the feeling that she had to answer honestly.

She inhaled deeply. She hoped they wouldn't laugh at her.

"You guys. My friends. My family. You're all what's most important to me."

She cringed in preparation for laughter, but none came. "Are we really that important?" Instead, was the answer. She turned away, facing forwards.

"Wha-? Mami? What's that supposed to mean?" Mami said nothing. What kind of answer was that? She gave no indication that she had even heard her.

Madoka turned to Sayaka sitting across from her. "Sayaka? Why is Mami acting so weird? What's going on?"

"What do you want most out of life?"

"Say what?"

"What do you want most out of life?" Sayaka had her trademark mischievous grin, as she repeated the question.

"Not you too?!" Madoka asked.

"What do you want most out of life?"

Again, Madoka got the same feeling. She needed to be honest. She sighed. Here goes. "I want… I want to do something meaningful with my life. Something that makes a difference, something big and important."

As she said it out loud, she realized that it sounded somewhat selfish. It was what she truly wanted, but she couldn't help but feel slightly ashamed of it, now that it was out there. Who was she to wish for such things when she wasn't really good at anything? She winced in preparation for some sort of jab, comment, or punch-line, but it never happened. Instead, Sayaka answered.

"To have meaning, huh?" She looked forwards, still grinning. She said nothing more.

What was going on? She turned to the final person in the room. Homura. She was simply sitting by the windowsill, gazing at the sunset outside. She seemed almost wistful.

"Homura?" Madoka asked.

She didn't respond at first, simply gazing out the window, looking over Mitakahara City. Eventually, she slowly turned to Madoka and asked. "What are you most afraid of?"

Another weird question. She didn't want to think about it, but... She closed her eyes, and spoke. "Being useless, being unwanted."

"Is that really so scary?" Homura asked. She returned to looking at the window. The sun was just dipping blow the horizon, and the city was quickly becoming dark. The apartment was also growing darker.

"Okay? What's going on?!" Madoka asked everyone. None of them responded. Instead, there was the familiar not-voice.

_The most important thing is those close to you._

_You want to do something meaningful._

_You fear being useless._

_Your journey begins in the dead of night. Your road won't be easy, but a rising sun awaits your journeys end._

_The day you become whole is both far off and very near._

Everything in Mami's apartment became darker and darker, until Madoka couldn't see anymore. Then she felt the familiar sensation. She was falling again.

She looked down, and gasped. The next stained glass platform held a depiction of her alone. She was dressed in a flowing white dress, her hair was free and long, and she had _wings. _Her eyes were closed and she was smiling with her arms spread wide in perfect serenity. She couldn't help but stare. It was like some sort of religious depiction like one might find in a cathedral. She looked like a goddess of some sort. There wasn't any other word for it. She was _beautiful_.

She slowed as she descended to the platform, giving her plenty of time to observe it and take it in. Was that really her? The not-voice had talked about becoming whole, did this have something to do with it? She was nearing the platform now. She extended a foot to land on it.

And her foot passed through the platform. Madoka gave a cry of terror, as whatever had been holding her aloft let go. She fell straight through the platform like it wasn't even there and tumbled downwards. From below it, she could briefly see the other side of the depiction of herself before it violently shattered into countless shards.

Madoka screamed.

She tumbled through the darkness for however long she didn't know. She begged and pleaded for help, but none came. The wind rushed past her ears, deafening to the point where she couldn't even hear her own voice, while her heart pounded in her chest.

Eventually, a dull light began to shine in the distance, and Madoka realized she was headed towards another platform. Depicted on this one wasn't anything of herself, but of Homura, wearing some strange dress, holding a black bow and with black feathered wings. While shocking, what was more shocking was that she wasn't slowing down this time. She landed. She landed hard.

Strangely, even though she hit the ground so hard she bounced, even though she felt the impact and shock run through her, she was okay. She picked herself up and inspected her body. As she thought, she wasn't injured in the slightest. No pain either. She then took a look at the platform. It was definitely Homura, wearing some sort of shockingly skimpy dress that made Madoka blush just to look at it. She certainly could never imagine herself wearing such things. But why was Homura here again? The image reminded her of the previous one. Homura also looked like a goddess. Her depiction was much more sinister however. Her expression was cold and severe, one hand held the bow at her side, the other forming a fist held to her chest. Suddenly, the platform began to darken.

Then, the not-voice spoke.

_The closer you get to Hope, the greater Despair becomes._

Madoka saw something shifting in the corner of her vision. She turned to see her own shadow stretching out, as if a light source was moving. Dropping.

Then it rose out of the ground. A replica of herself, cloaked in darkness. But it didn't end there. The shadow grew, and grew, and grew. Once it was completely upright, she could see a strange mountain-like entity of shadowy tentacles in a form resembling a dress, the top of which looked vaguely human, it's hands extended into the air as if in praise or joy. The platform began to shake. Darkness spread out from the monster threatening to engulf Madoka.

She ran. Unfortunately there wasn't anywhere for her to go, as she realized. She barely stopped herself from falling over the edge of the platform. Sadly, that left her at the mercy of the monster, and it's darkness soon engulfed her.

She screamed and writhed as her very skin seemed to crawl at it's touch. It felt wrong in every sense of the world, twisted, violating, broken, foul, unclean. And she only sunk deeper and deeper.

_-but don't be afraid._

Soon, it covered her vision. Madoka screamed, and screamed, but nobody was coming to save her. She was helpless.

_Someday, you will bring Hope once more._

She began to loose sensation in her limbs. She couldn't move them. She couldn't feel them. It was creeping up her body. The numbness reached her abdomen, and then her torso. She couldn't scream. It crept up her neck, and she couldn't breathe. She couldn't hear. She felt the numbness cover her head.

_The Light within you is the mightiest of all._

Madoka was as nothing.

* * *

She awoke with a jolt. She panicked for a few quick seconds, before realizing that she was now in her bedroom. In her pajamas. She breathed a sigh of relief. It had all been a dream. Right? It felt so real though.

As she looked around the room to get her bearings straight. She glanced at her clock. And nearly screamed again.

"I'm gonna be late for school!" Madoka took off, flying out of bed, showering, getting dressed and getting out the door in record time. It wouldn't do to be late on the last day of the school year after all.

* * *

**Keys to the Contract**

* * *

_And what better way to start off than with a new fic! I'd been conceiving of this one for a while and I felt that the two series could work together very well, so here it is! Don't worry about Yugioh Monsters, I fully intend to continue working on that fic as well, and now that I have more free time on my hands, updates will be faster again._

_ As to this fic, it takes place post Rebellion, as you could probably guess. For the Awakening scene I felt it would work better doing it PMMM themed._

_ Thanks for reading!_

_ ~Dragonexx _


	2. Summer Vacation

**Keys to the Contract**

**Chapter 2**

**Looks Like My Summer Vacation is Beginning!**

* * *

"Now class. While you may be tempting to rush off to whatever fun adventurous things you have planned during summer break, it is important to think about your future. More specifically, your relationship future. One could simply run off, playing mindless games while on vacations. However, you are unknowingly squandering your own light in the process. The light of your youth! Right Nakazawa? You always think there will be more time, and then you suddenly run out of time and that light fades into darkness. You become more and more desperate, but your light has gone out. You keep looking, but they always want someone a bit more brighter. It's a hopeless task. So don't waste your light or you'll be alone and sad and full of regrets. Nakazawa, what do you regret?"

"Sitting in the front row!"

"Now girls. It's important to build a good foundation of relationships and contacts so..."

Madoka had gotten used to tuning out Ms. Saotome's rants until she got back on topic to the actual lesson. Instead, she found her attention drawn to Homura. She had appeared in several places in her dream, which Madoka remembered with explicit detail, almost as if it had actually happened.

Which was strange. She hadn't had much interaction with Homura since the beginning of the school year. Come to think of it, had anyone? Madoka never saw her with friends or even just casually conversing with others. She was top of their class in every subject, but nobody knew anything meaningful about her. She wasn't in any clubs and didn't participate in any extracurricular activities. She was a mystery. The only notable thing was Sayaka's strange and intense dislike of her.

She also looked fairly sad. Her eyes had bags to them, like she was sleep-deprived. Madoka also realized that she had never seen her smile. _Why?_ She wondered. She also wondered why she was thinking this much about a near complete stranger.

Then again she had appeared in her dream. Though admittedly, that wasn't much to go by. But her curiosity was already piqued. Besides, it was the last day of the school year. She probably wouldn't see her for a few months, and that's if she even continued to stay at Mitakihara Academy. With her talents, she could probably skip a grade or even multiple, or even get accepted to some super prestigious institute. Might as well try.

* * *

Lunch came soon enough, and Madoka made her way to the schools cafe. Sure enough, Homura was sitting alone, staring out the window, idly picking at her food. She saw Sayaka and her other friends sitting at a different table. Madoka inhaled deeply, and exhaled. She then sat down opposite Homura, while Sayaka's mouth dropped.

Homura turned to face her and her eyes widened slightly, clearly surprised. Her expression quickly resumed it's default dull state, as if she was just bored.

"Madoka Kaname? What are you doing here?"

"Well, you seemed to be sitting here alone..."

"I've been doing so for the entire year. Why start now?" Homura asked.

"Well it's the last day of school and-"

"Madoka Kaname. Why are you really here?"

"I had this dream about you!" Madoka blurted out, and then winced. That… was really awful. She now probably thought she was really weird and creepy and…

"Oh? Like what?" Instead of backing away, Homura leaned forwards slightly, resting her chin on the back of her hands. "What was it about?"

Madoka breathed an internal sigh of relief. "Well, you see..."

Madoka launched into the description of her dream. Even now, she could still remember it all in such vivid detail which was surprising, she rarely remembered what happened in her dreams. At one point while describing it, Madoka swore she saw Homura's eyes glow, but it must have been a trick of the light.

"Is that it?" Homura asked, once Madoka stopped talking.

"Well… that's when I woke up."

"So it seems."

"So, what do you think it means?"

"Means? Why would it mean anything?"

"Well, it felt so _real_." Madoka insisted.

"Some people think dreams are messages from beyond, or visions of the future or the like. Do you believe in any of that?"

"Well… not really." Madoka said.

"Others think they're manifestations of the subconscious." Homura suggested.

"I don't know anything about psychology though..."

"Then it must have been just a dream. Realistic or not. Right?"

"I guess…"

"Hmm..." Homura shrugged returned to eating.

Not wanting to end on so awkward a note, Madoka tried to continue the conversation. "So, have you thought about the future?"

"The future?"

"Like, what are you going to do over the summer? Are you going to vacation anywhere? Do something fun?"

"I haven't really given it any thought." Homura replied flatly. She began to stare out the window again. "Why do you ask?"

"I dunno, you just seem like you don't have much fun. I've never seen you smile. It might do you some good to do something you enjoy."

"mmm..." Homura continued to stare out the window.

"I know it's kinda presumptous, but… Er…" Homura didn't appear to be paying attention. Madoka sighed. "I guess I'll go now."

* * *

After lunch, Madoka met up with her other friends sans Nagisa (because primary schoolers had different schedules) and was approached by Sayaka.

"What were you doing talking to Homura?" She demanded.

"I was curious. Why?"

"Your okay, aren't you?" Sayaka asked, clear concern showing on her face. She placed her hands on Madoka's shoulders. "SHe didn't do anything to do, did she?"

"Like what?" Madoka asked.

"Yeah, what's the big deal?" Mami asked.

"I'm telling you, she's bad news!" Sayaka turned to the others.

"Why? What'd she ever do to you?" Mami asked.

"Nothing, I guess... It's just that whenever I see her, my skin crawls. She creeps me out. Somethings… just... not right with her."

Madoka sighed internally. Sayaka tended to get like this at times.

"Pfft, yeah right! Are ya' sure it ain't just you?" Kyoko said.

"Like what?"

"You probably just have a crush on her!" Kyoko teased.

"I do not!" Sayaka replied.

"Nah, you totally do!"

"I'm telling you I don't! There's no way I'd be into someone like her!"

"Hah, I can see it all over your face!" Kyoko pressed.

"No you can't! You're making that up!"

In an effort to keep things from getting out of hand, Mami asked. "So, Madoka, what are you doing over the summer?"

Madoka brightened. "Were going to America again!"

Sayaka paused from her argument with Kyoko. "Wait, you're not moving back, are you?!"

"No! Were just going on vacation! Mama has this big business conference she has to go to, so were all going to New York! Were turning it into a family trip!"

"Wow! So cool!" Sayaka said. "You'll have to tell me all about it!"

"What, like send some of those shitty postcards?" Kyoko asked. "_Wish you were here!_ But not really, because I _love_ imagining your jealousy! Then you can bore us with vacation slides when you get back!"

"I'm not like that!" Madoka said. "I wish I could bring all you along with me."

"I'm not jealous… Well, a little."

"You shouldn't be! It'll all be okay." Kyoko said.

"Why?" Sayaka asked.

"Because you've got Homura!" She laughed.

"Not this again?!" Sayaka shouted.

"It's written all over your face again!" Kyoko said.

Sayaka reached for her, but Kyoko danced out of her grip, and then laughed as she ran down the hallway, Sayaka in hot pursuit.

"Oh dear..." Mami sighed. "Here we go again..."

* * *

_~Dragonexx_


	3. Paradise Lost and Found

**Chapter 3**

**Paradise Lost and Found**

* * *

_Breathe!_ Homura took a deep breath as she leaned against the railing on the school roof. Eventually, she managed to get herself under control. Her pounding heart returned to normal.

Everything was fine. She couldn't detect any traces of the Law of Cycles. Madoka was safe, like she had been all year. It was just a dream. She had taken care of it.

Homura sighed, and pushed herself off the fence, only to realize that it had been warped into some sort of black, splotchy, bent, mess. With a thought, it was restored to it's normal appearance.

Everything was fine. Homura reassured herself. She could take care of things. She would make sure her Madoka stayed safe. That was the burden she had sworn to bear, the great quest she had undertaken. But only now was she beginning to see the enormity of the grand task before her, like a yawning chasm over which the bridge has collapsed. Madoka had asked her about the future, and now her thoughts were spiraling. She had never been good at thinking about the future. Never good at planning beyond the immediate quest at hand.

If she could keep Madoka here, time would pass. Madoka would graduate from high school, and could possibly go to college, begin a career, find a relationship, start a family, and eventually grow old, and die.

Homura would have to watch over her for decades, keeping her safe and separate from the Law of Cycles for the rest of her life. And that was if she even _could_ grow old and die. Would she be immortal. Unaging? For all she had experienced, there was still so much Homura didn't know. Not for the first time, Homura wanted to be closer to Madoka. To enjoy the sweet sight of her pink haired maiden. To gaze upon her beautiful smile. To marvel at her joyous laughter, like sweet nightingales singing. To sink into her embrace, like a warm fire after a cold day. To hear her comforting words, like- Homura ruthlessly crushed that line of thought. She didn't deserve such things. Not after what she had to do. After the necessary sin she had to commit.

Instead, she could lead Madoka to the right options, the same as she had guided her back to her friends. Find her a good, safe, career. Find a fitting spouse who could keep her safe, while remaining close to her. A family to ensure she would want for nothing. A home where she would be safe and comfortable. Yes, she could do that.

Regardless, what would she be doing during this time? Though two hardly made for conclusive evidence, Madoka's episodes were fairly far apart meaning Homura's interventions would be far apart as well. Even later, once the proper place for her was found, once set in motion, the process would perpetuate itself. Elsewhere her familiars had the foul Wraiths under control, their infernal cruelty against mankind stymied by the endless armies of dolls. The weight of the karmic curses fell upon the loathsome Incubators, now living up to the ideals they once preached, fueling eternity with the endless fire of their own immortal essences, their very beings crushed beneath the gravity of their sins. Entropy had been solved. The universe would continue forever and ever more. Every being in the universe could rejoice at their salvation. No longer would they fear a demise that not even God could avert, for the Devil had come with the True Knowledge, and so taken the mantle of the Almighty.

But what of herself? What fate awaited this Devil? A depraved and hedonistic orgy of hellish vices? A grim and stoic rule of her dark kingdom? Homura looked back to the stairwell. There was no desire to return to class. No desire to immerse herself in the fetid stench of captive animals jockeying in a pathetic bid for status and attention driven by hormones and insecurity while the caretakers simply averted their eyes because they just wanted to get through their day and not lament about their wasted lives.

In all truth, she wondered why she even bothered with academia at all. She had lived that cycle out more times than she cared to count, and had learned more out on her own experience that she ever learned sitting in a classroom listening to a sad old crone whine about her pathetic love life. She was absolute. All the knowledge of creation was at her fingertips, the Akashic Record at her beck and call.

But society liked it's credentials, as misleading, arbitrary, and falsifiable as they could be. She might as well humor them, and play along with their games. Homura snapped her fingers and called out "Usotsuki, to me!"

Near instantly, one of her servants appeared before her. A vile creature cloaked in the flesh of a woman, only barely hiding the monstrosity within. A grinning, weeping, creature that even could give even the greatest of heroes pause. The Clara Doll giggled, as she always did, her servitude a mocking and sardonic farce in but appearance, within the only thought was absolute submission to her dark mistress.

With a quick command, Usotsuki's appearance was reshaped until she looked like a perfect replica of Homura. With that, the Liar headed back into the school, to take her place. There was no need to linger further, especially if it meant having to hear Hitomi's obnoxious and petulant whining about Kyosuke dumping her, even though that was _months_ ago. Besides the only thing that mattered anyways was picking up her summer homework.

With that taken care of, Homura stepped forwards. The world sped past her in a blur, the sounds and sights passing too quickly to make more than the faintest of impressions. In but an instant, she was at her apartment.

Homura's residence was bare and spartan. She was the only resident in the building, even though the structure took up an entire block. All of the furniture had already come with the place, and she hadn't cared to alter it any. She had no possessions of her own left. No keepsakes to admire. No hobbies to while away her time. With the money she had received from disability she could have afforded to decorate the apartment, but it had never struck her interest to do so. The only things she bought were the necessities. Before she had become a magical girl, the apartment it had merely been a place to rest and recover from the days disappointments in preparation for the next. Afterwards, it had been used as a base of operations. A place to store weapons and information. A fortress and staging ground for her war against fate itself. It was never truly a home, a place where she could be herself, as much due to lack of time (ironically) as it was due to lacking a self. After her grand task had been completed, after her shining triumph over the universe itself, there was little use for such a place.

But now, her mission was complete. Her fair Madoka was where she belonged, safe and happy, unperturbed by the world of magic and despair. What next? Did she deserve a heroes rest? Was now to be her entry into the Elysian Fields, nay, to the Isles of the Blessed? Such consideration came upon her like the tide long low.

"_I dunno, you just seem like you don't have much fun lately. It might do you some good to do something you enjoy."_

The words from earlier came back to her. She shrugged and stepped into her bedroom, in front of the mirror.

Homura had never thought of herself as attractive. Small chest, no curves, pudgy face, stringy hair, scrawny, lanky, arms and legs. She had always been the odd girl out, wherever she went. No friends. Picked last for teams. Always hearing whispers and giggles behind her back. Receiving mocking texts and emails. Finding her school supplies vandalized or stolen. Enduring the teachers pitying expressions at her failures. She had long since given up on her looks or reputation. Even the outfit she had given herself upon her apotheosis had been manifested more out of the sheer thrill of the moment than any sort of desire for appearance.

But now, she pondered the matter. She had stopped keeping exact track of how many timelines she had lived through, how many campaigns she had launched, how many wars she had waged. But if she had to take a guess she would have been around her mid-to-late-twenties in subjective time. All that time fighting a ceaseless battle against time itself, the weight of weeks, months and years as nothing to this brave warrior. And now it was over. What next?

Well, it was summer break.

Homura looked over herself in the mirror. With a thought, she aged up her body to match her subjective age, making alterations as she did so. Fuller lips. Plumper chest. Curvier hips. Shapelier legs. The threads of her school uniform rearranged themselves, transforming into an elegant, strapless black dress, cut low to show off her new cleavage. Her shoes became high heeled sandals. She posed, twirled, and gave herself a brief and admittedly forced smile. Regardless, this was a form befitting of the new Goddess. They would truly look upon their savior with awe and reverence.

But why stop there? She looked around her bleak apartment, and then snapped her fingers. The building grew brighter as a fresh coat of paint was applied. The furniture transformed into much more stylish and comfortable forms, while tasteful abstract paintings decorated the walls. The lights were replaced with brighter and warmer fixtures.

She stopped and considered. It was nice but... _Too small! _She had liberated an unworthy universe from it's absolute demise. She was a savior. She deserved her own personal Elysium.

With another snap, the walls of the building opened up, her residence extending into the rest of the structure, transforming it to look more like a manor befitting a woman of such beauty and elegance as herself. Fancy rugs and carpets, elegant curtains, and strings of lights decorated the building. She created a media room with high-priced electronics. A dining hall with fancy silverware. A grand staircase was created leading to the upper floor, where she created a bedroom with an expansive 4 poster bed, and a balcony with a garden full of flowers.

Finished, Homura stepped outside to inspect her work. She was about to deem it good, when a car sped past her, with loud engines and loud music. And then another. And another. Then a police car in hot pursuit, sirens wailing. Ah yes, the obnoxious ravings of a city big enough to never sleep. Steeped eternally in it's own filth and decay like some rotting animal carcass. She sighed and waved her hands, and the entire structure was transported to the outskirts of the city, space folding together where it once was, and new space appearing to accommodate it at it's destination. With this, she added grounds, including more gardens, a garage full of luxury cars, and a fountain with statues in ballet poses.

Now, without any interruptions, she looked over her work. It was good. However, she pondered. It was a nice enough manor, but far too mundane. Definitely not a residence befitting of a Devil.

She snapped her fingers, and then she was floating far out over the ocean, no shoreline anywhere in sight. Before her was naught but the endless blue sea. Her wings emerged from her back. She spread out her hands and the world shook. The seas roiled and steamed and at her will parted all the way down to the deep deep floor. There, the seafloor cracked and split and the fiery lifeblood of the earth spilled forth. At Homura's direction, it surged upwards as it hardened, forming into a volcanic island that rose from the sea. Dark clouds gathered above. A forest of withered and ashen trees sprung up like weeds, surrounding the edge of the island in a deathly embrace, while inwards, the volcano began to expel lava, it's ghastly light illuminating the dark skies.

She clenched her fist, and the ground began to shake. From the side of the volcano, a massive black structure jutted out, the lava flows curling around it to form a blazing moat. The black structure twisted and flowed like water, transforming into a massive, sinister looking castle, while the storm brewing over the island crackled with lightning and thunder.

Within it's walls, rooms formed. Troop barracks, dungeons, war rooms and observation towers all came into being. Torture chambers and death traps filled the lower levels, mixed with vaults brimming with treasure piles of gold and gems. Mysterious and arcane devices came into being in the towers. Stained glass windows dotted the walls, showing depictions of the Devil and her familiars. She then called forth said familiars, populating both the island, and the palace. Liese and Lilia prowled and stalked about the forest while Lotte soldiers patrolled the castles boundaries.

Homura landed upon a balcony and stepped into the largest room in the palace. Towering stained glass windows filled the area with eerie and unnatural multicolored light. As she walked forwards, lines of Lotte soldiers knelt as she passed, headed towards a towering black throne on the other side of the room. Behind it, a massive clockwork structure dominated, gears turning while sand flowed between them.

Homura smirked as she sat upon the throne and slouched to one side. The Lotte soldiers rose, saluted, and banged the base of their spears on the ground while the palace's clock struck four. Lightning struck the highest tower, illuminating the island with a million volts of power and malice.

It was as they said. True, she had seen only the barest glimpse of Heaven, but indeed, it was better to rule in-

Something smacked Homura square in the face, broke apart, and splattered all over her. She stood up in a rage. "Who dares-" Some of whatever it was dripped into her mouth, and she recognized the taste of tomatoes.

_Oh, right… _

Homura's form reverted to her teenage self, her dress transforming back into her school uniform as the tomato was cleaned off of her. When her vision cleared, she saw herself standing before her, though it shimmered and became the Usotsuki the Liar from earlier. She giggled as she handed Homura the packet of summer homework, and gave a dramatic bow, as if on stage.

"Thanks." Homura sighed. She dismissed the creature, and it skipped off to do whatever the Dolls did in their spare time. The Lotte were dismissed as well, and joined the patrols throughout the castle.

Homura walked off to the side of the room, a doorway appearing, leading to a staircase spiraling up a tower. At the top, a bedroom formed, one very plain, a recreation of her original bedroom. She sat down at the desk and got to work.

* * *

_~Dragonexx_


	4. Night of Fate

**Chapter 4**

**Night of Fate**

* * *

It was afternoons like this that Madoka loved. She and her friends were at their usual hangout of Mami's apartment, drinking tea, simply chatting, joking, and relaxing. The snacks had been finished off, save for a piece of cheesecake.

That Kyoko and Nagisa were currently fighting over.

"Let go, Nagisa!" Kyoko tugged on the plate.

"No! It is cheese! It belongs to me!" Nagisa pulled back.

"You've already pigged out on the cake!"

"You have also had your fill! The cheesecake is mine!"

"Liar!" Kyoko pulled harder.

"You are the liar!" Nagisa countered, and continued to pull.

"Stop that you two!" Mami said.

"She started it!" Both said. "No! _She _started it! It's mine!"

Unfortunately, neither seemed willing to back down. Also unfortunately, Kyoko was both larger and stronger than Nagisa. This resulted in her managing to pull the plate out of her grasp. Even more unfortunately, this also resulted in Kyoko stumbling back and tripping, sending the cheesecake flying into the air.

"Oh no!" Both shouted.

Thankfully, Mami took action. She calmly held out another plate, and caught the flying slice of cake upon it, not spilling a crumb, the fork even landed with the point in the cake.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They all knew about how Kyoko hated wasting food, and Nagisa's love of anything cheese.

"Nice catch Mami!" She said, and walked over to her, hand outstretched.

"No! Give it to me!" Nagisa jumped in front of her.

"No, it's neither of yours." Mami said.

"But..."

"No!" She said, in that tone of voice that said this wasn't up for debate. Both immediately backed down.

Mami got up and walked over to the refrigerator. "I'll have it myself later."

"Aww..." Kyoko slumped back down to the couch.

At that moment the TV activated.

"What?" Sayaka, who had been watching the whole debacle with amusement jumped slightly.

"Oh." Kyoko scooted over, revealing she had accidentally sat on the remote.

"_-norant to the truth. It's not human traffickers. It's aliens! I'm telling you, it's aliens! Creatures from beyond our world have come to bring about it's end! They're the reason! Wake up sheeple! The government is keeping the truth from us! But I know what's really happening! And now you do to!"_

The scene showed a street where a rather obese man with greasy hair was yelling at the camera.

"_Hey, are you cutting me off?! You can't keep the truth hidden! The people-"_

The screen cut to a newsroom, where a pair of reporters commented. "_And as you can see, explanations and theories vary wildly as to the cause of this rash of disappearances. Governments and law enforcement agencies the world over state that the investigation is ongoing. If anyone has information, feel free to come forth anonymously by contacting your local police station. The consensus is that any information might help._

"Ugh. If we're going to watch TV, can it not be this?" Mami said, returning from the kitchen. "Too depressing."

"Agreed." Sayaka said.

"How about a movie?" Madoka suggested.

"If we can agree on what to watch." Mami said.

* * *

As it turned out, agreeing on what movie to watch took some time, with Kyoko and Sayaka wanting to watch some action movie, while Madoka and Nagisa wanted to watch a mystery. As usual, Mami took charge and they instead ended up watching a rom-com.

It ran a bit longer than expected, and by the time it was finished, it was very dark outside, made worse by the ominous storm clouds gathering above.

"All right." Mami said. "Be careful on the way home."

"Oh don't worry." Sayaka said. "We'll take the bus, it's perfectly safe. No kidnappings for us! Besides if anyone tried, I'd kick their asses before they knew what was what!"

"Thank you for having us over." Madoka said.

"Of course, it's always lovely to see you two. Oh! We'll be going shopping tomorrow, would you like to come?"

"I'm sure Madoka has to pack."

"No, it's fine. Were not leaving until July." Madoka explained. "I'd love to come shopping with you all!"

"Great, we'll meet at the mall around noon!"

Madoka and Sayaka waved goodbye and headed out. Above them the sky flashed with lightning prompting both girls to hurry to the bus stop.

As usual, the buses ran perfectly on schedule, arriving just as they arrived at the stop. Sayaka and Madoka boarded, and took their seats.

"So, it's just us." Sayaka said, leaning back in her seat.

"Yeah, it's been kind of a while." Madoka said. "How are things going with Hitomi and Kyosuke?"

"Hitomi's still all torn up over the break-up." Sayaka said.

"Really? Still?" Madoka asked. "It's been months!"

"Yeah, but it was so sudden, y'know?" Sayaka said.

"Why did he dump her anyways?" Madoka asked.

"Dunno. I've tried asking, but he's been so distant lately. He barely gives me the time of day. And to think I used to have a crush on him!"

"You don't anymore?"

"Originally yeah, but didn't want to let it get between Hitomi and me. But now, I've kinda moved on, I guess. Not like Kyosuke was that attentive when he was dating Hitomi anyways. I tried to get them back together, but he's been blowing me off. I think somethings going on with him, but he won't tell me. It's frustrating! He's been acting really weird lately."

"Well, you have a good heart Sayaka. I'm sure you'll figure it out."

"Hmm..." Sayaka began looking out the window. They sat in silence for a while, simply appreciating the scenery. Mitakihara was a beautiful city, even at night and during a storm.

"So, what's up with you!" She suddenly said.

"Me?"

"Any guys or girls lusting after you?"

"What?"

"C'mon." Sayaka placed her arm around Madoka, her trademark mischevious grin on her face. "If not that, then any guys or girls your lusting after?"

"No!" Madoka said.

"Really? With looks like those, I find that hard to believe!" She giggled as she embraced Madoka and poked her in the cheek. "Maybe I'll take you for myself!"

"_Sayaka! C'mon!_" Madoka complained as she tried to wrestle her friend off, to no avail. Other passengers on the bus were starting to stare.

"But seriously? Nobody?"

"I've never really given it much thought." She said, but even as the words left her mouth, thoughts of Homura leapt unbidden into her mind.

"Aha! You're blushing!" Sayaka said triumphantly. "So, who's the lucky person?"

"It's not like that Sayaka!"

"Not like that my perfect ass! You-"

There was a sudden bell, and the intercom called out their stop.

"Looks like this is where we get off." Madoka breathed a sigh of relief. Saved by the bell.

As the two of them stepped off the bus, they could tell that the storm was building. The winds were picking up, and lightning was flashing all the faster.

"We should hurry!" Madoka said.

"Agreed."

The two girls rushed to Sayaka's apartment complex.

"G'night Sayaka." Madoka said.

"Yeah, now hurry home. See you tomorrow! I'll call you when I'm ready!"

As Sayaka entered the staircase, Madoka turned around and headed back outside. It wasn't that long of a walk to her house, but she really should hurry. Or… should she?

The winds were starting to die down, though the sky remained dark and cloudy. As she walked, the wind dropped further and further. Madoka shivered, and then realized what she had just done. It was summer! Why was it this cold?

Then the streetlights flickered, and went out, leaving her in near total darkness. What was going on? Her heart began pounding.

_No!_ Madoka admonished herself. It was probably just a power outage from the storm. She took a deep breath. She knew the way to her home from Sayaka's by heart. Even if she could barely see, she would be fine. One foot in front of the other, and she would be home before she knew it.

Then Madoka saw it. Something slinking around in the darkness. While she started, she quickly admonished herself again. It was probably just a cat.

A cat with glowing yellow eyes…

A lot of cats, with glowing yellow eyes.

Those weren't cats.

A sudden flash of lightning illuminated the creatures. They had a strange cuteness that belied the almost primal fear Madoka felt. Had she seen something like a plush doll of one in a store, she likely would have fallen in love with it. They were small, with round bodies and antennas that twitched in a manner that could be considered cute. However, they were constantly in motion, their movements jerky, like that of an insect. In fact, these creatures reminded Madoka of a very large bug like a giant ant. She had once seen a picture of an Australian Huntsman Spider. It gave her nightmares for a week, and these things were dredging up those unfortunate memories.

The creatures steadily advanced towards her, prompting Madoka to back away.

"S-stay away!" She shouted, though the creatures gave no indication they heard her.

She turned around, prepared to run, only to find more of them behind her. They had formed a circle around her.

One of them twitched and writhed, before leaping towards her, claws outstretched. She screamed and leaped to the side. She was jerked off balance and tumbled to the ground. The creature's attack had glanced off her shoulder.

The realization flashed in Madoka's mind. The creature had just attacked her! It was trying to kill her!

A flash of lightning illuminated the area once again, showing the shadowy creatures leaping on top of her. Madoka screamed as they crawled all over her, while her vision began to fade. She was reminded of her dream, of being swallowed up by the darkness, and all the horrid sensations that came with it.

Suddenly, a burst of light shone forth, brighter than even the lightning. At the same moment, Madoka felt something appear in her hand.

She grasped it. When the light faded, she sat up, and realized what it was she was holding.

It was a giant key. A very ornate giant key, that looked like a tree branch with pink gemstones placed into it. The teeth resembled a pink flower that was closed, though as she watched, the flower bloomed into something like a rose or a lotus. The base of the key formed a loop with the handle inside, the heart-shaped loop seemingly made of pink and white feathers. Hanging from the base was a keychain ending in a red chrysanthemum ornament.

_Keyblade… Keyblade…_

It was the not-voice from her dream! It called this thing a Keyblade? As she looked it over, a name resonated within her mind, _Crystal Clarity_.

_Behind you!_ The not-voice said.

Madoka turned in time to see one of the creatures leaping towards her. Acting on pure instinct, Madoka swung the Keyblade and struck the creature head on. The monster dispersed into wisps of smoke-like darkness that quickly faded away.

The other monsters seemed to hesitate as Madoka brandished the weapon, though it didn't last for long. They leaped. Adrenaline surged through Madoka and she swung the Keyblade, smacking away two of them as she rose to her feet. She stepped to the side, avoiding the swipe of another and swung. It backed away, avoiding the swing, and gathered with the other creatures.

_Don't let down your guard! The shadows are without mercy!_

The monsters attacked again, relentless even in the face of their companions being destroyed and heedless of the danger posed to themselves. Madoka dodged and swung, rolling out of the way of claw swipes and headbutts, and responding with slashes with the Keyblade, gradually wearing down their numbers.

She didn't stop to think about what she was doing. The only thought on her mind was survival, not getting hurt by the strange little monsters. As she fought, a gradual rhythm came over her, recognizing telegraphs for attacks and blocking or dodging them. When she had defeated about half of them, the others started flattening, almost becoming like a literal shadow. They crawled along the ground, ignoring any attempts Madoka made to hit them as they moved about wildly.

When they reemerged, Madoka found she was surrounded again. She turned about rapidly, attempting and failing to keep all of the monsters in her field of view. It wasn't long before they attacked again. Instead of attempting to block, Madoka rushed forwards, cutting her way through two of them and placing the circle of monsters on one side of her again. They followed her, allowing her to keep them coming at her from one direction, and eliminating them as they approached.

Soon enough, her opponents were vanquished. Madoka would have given at least a little cheer of victory, but the adrenaline wore off and fatigue and realization of what had just happened caught up to her. She had been attacked. She had fought and killed her attackers. She had been attacked by monsters. She had fought and killed the attacking monsters. With a giant key! What the hell was going on?! She leaned on the key as her vision blurred. She felt dizzy and her mind was cloudy. It was difficult to think. She knew had to be somewhere, but she was having trouble remembering where that was. What was she doing before? She stumbled, as the key glowed, and began to vanish.

The last thing she saw was lightning striking somewhere in the distance before the ground rushed up to meet her.

* * *

_I can't draw, so for Crystal Clarity, imagine Madoka's bow but in Keyblade form._

_~Dragonexx_


	5. The Approaching Storm

**Chapter 5**

**The Approaching Storm**

* * *

_The Keyblade. A truly magnificent thing. Capable of bringing about great prosperity. Supreme justice. Unlimited freedom. Or absolute chaos. To light the way, or shroud it in darkness._

_What?_

_Dear child. I'm so sorry._

_Why?_

_The Keyblade is wondrous to be sure, but in turn it binds it's wielders fate. I'm afraid, by being chosen, you have been set upon a destined path that has led so many others to ruin._

_Wonder and ruin…_

_However, you are different. There's something… special… something amazingly unique about your heart. I believe you will go on to do fantastic things._

_Me? You must be mistaken. I'm not really good at anything..._

_You are. More than you realize, child._

_Are you sure?_

_Indeed. Now, child, what is your name?_

_My name? It's-_

* * *

"Madoka?"

Madoka eyes slowly opened. It was a moment before she got her wits about her, but to her surprise, she found that she was lying in her bed, in her pajamas.

She sat up, and looked around. Yes she was definitely in her own room, and those strange creatures were nowhere to be seen.

_Another dream? _Madoka wondered to herself. She looked at her hands. She could still remember the feel of that giant key in her grip. It had felt right. So. Very. _Right_. But it was a dream. Just like that other one, realistic or not.

She then heard a shout from downstairs.

"Madoka? Are you awake?" It was her dad.

Then Madoka smelled it. Tomato and pepper omelets, bacon, and pancakes. Breakfast!

She rushed downstairs, to see her mother and Tatsuya sitting at the table while her father was placing the plates on the table. Up close, the smell was mouthwatering.

"Oh, good morning sweetie. I wasn't sure if you were even awake. You slept like a log last night!" Tomohisa said.

"I did?" Madoka asked. The tiredness was starting to catch up to her, and she found herself yawning as she sat down to eat.

"Yeah, you came home and went straight to bed."

"Must have been a wild party." Junko said with a wink. "Anybody cute you hooked up with?"

"Pahty! Pahty!" Tatsuya repeated as he put pieces of syrup drenched pancakes in his mouth.

"Don't talk with your mouth full." Tomohisa reprimanded.

"Not you too? Sayaka said the same thing yesterday."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, we really didn't do anything." Madoka said. "It was just Mami, Kyoko, Nagisa, Sayaka, and me. We just hung out for a bit and then watched a movie. Nothing dirty, I swear!"

"Speaking of dirty, what happened to your uniform?" Her father asked, getting up from the table.

"My uniform?"

He reached into a nearby laundry bin. Madoka nearly choked on a slice of pancakes at what she saw. After downing it with a large gulp of orange juice, she looked again at her school uniform. It was dirty and torn, with a noticeably large tear on the shoulder.

She recalled the previous night when the creatures attacked her. It wasn't a dream! Madoka took another big drink of orange juice in an attempt to calm herself down. When she managed to keep a straight face she turned back to her father.

"Seriously! What happened?" He asked.

"Maybe the party was wilder than she's letting on!" Junko said, a knowing grin spreading across her face. "I remember the things I got up to around your age..."

"N-no, it's not like that, Mama!" Madoka said. "I… tripped while walking home. It was dark, and when the power went out, I couldn't see anything for a while."

"Well, your lucky it's summer break now. I'll have plenty of time to patch this up good as new!" Tomohisa said with a smile.

"Just be glad you still have summer break." Junko said. "It's shaping up to be a very hectic day at the office. I'll probably be working late. So, dear, don't worry about dinner for me, I'll eat out tonight."

Madoka internally sighed in relief. Though she now felt guilty about lying to her parents. But would they believe her if she told the truth? Was that _even _the truth? Maybe she was actually going insane. That'd be just fitting, wouldn't it? Weird dreams. Voices in her head. Hallucinating monster attacks.

Madoka mused on these thoughts as she finished breakfast and returned to her bedroom. The hallucinations seemed oddly specific, though maybe that was true of all of them? And that's if it even was a hallucination. Gaining power from a dream to summon a giant key to fight shadow monsters? It sounded like the plot to some convoluted game or anime.

If it was real, then why? Was she some sort of chosen one? But then, why would anyone choose her of all people? She wasn't really good at anything. She wasn't smart only getting poor to average grades. She was horrendously uncoordinated and almost the opposite of athletic, so no good in a fight. She wasn't especially good looking either, feeling short and rather pudgy at times. Sayaka said she was cute, but that was probably just joking. She didn't feel confident or charming either. Her friends had more or less come about as a result of her knowing Sayaka and she was always just the tag along anyways. She always faded into the background.

But then there was something special about her heart. According to the dream-voice (which she noted, felt different from the previous not-voice) that was. She placed her hand to her chest, feeling her heartbeat. Somehow, it felt like the dream-voice wasn't referring to the organ that pumped blood throughout the body, and instead something else. What did it all mean? She still vividly remembered everything that had happened. The strange stained glass dream. The fight with the shadow monsters. The key.

The key. It was perhaps one of the strangest things she had ever seen. And yet, it had felt so… _right_. So perfect in her hand, like a natural extension of herself. Of course, that was if this all was real. Becoming the Chosen One to save the world from darkness. This could all very well be a hallucination. But were hallucinations this real? She was right in that she didn't know anything about how this stuff worked.

And then there was Homura. She had appeared in her dreams, and she had felt compelled to talk to her about it despite the fact that the two of them hadn't interacted since Madoka had first transferred. She then remembered that day as if it was a normal dream: hazy and vague. Odd… how could she have forgotten the details until now?

"_It's all right. You are what you truly are."_

"_Madoka Kaname. Do you treasure this world? Do you consider stability and order more important than desire?"_

"_Then I suppose one day you will become my enemy as well."_

"_I will continue to wish for a world where you can be happy."_

"_They really do look better on you after all."_

The way she talked, it was as if she knew her. But they had just met. And was she crying? The whole thing felt like another dream. An actual one. Barely remembered.

And speaking of dreams, she hadn't immediately dismissed Madoka when she spoke about her dream. In fact she seemed to take a strange interest in it.

Madoka looked at her nightstand, where her favorite ribbons lay. She picked them up to inspect them closely. There didn't appear to be anything unusal about them, just your run of the mill ribbons one could by cheaply just about anywhere. But Homura had given these to her. Maybe she knew something about what was going on. Madoka should ask her. It was worth a shot anyways. She'd visit Homura and-

_Bzzzt!_

Madoka jumped at the noise, before realizing it was her phone. She opened it to see she had gotten a text from Sayaka.

_Hey! Just reminding you that were all meeting at the mall at noon! Don't be late! ;)  
_

Oh right. There was Sayaka as well. For what it was worth, she really seemed to have it out for Homura, claiming she gave her the creeps. Madoka couldn't see it though. If anything, Madoka felt pity when she looked at Homura. She never smiled. There were severe bags under her eyes and she always looked exhausted. She had perfect grades in everything. Maybe all that work took it's toll on her? Or maybe she knew something other people didn't?

And yet Sayaka had seemed legitimately concerned for her safety when she had talked to Homura. Did she also know something about this? Madoka sighed again. This was so frustrating. And that's assuming she wasn't just going crazy. But she supposed she should get ready for the day.

* * *

"You look like somethings eating at you, dear." Junko said as the two of them stood by the mirror in the bathroom.

"Really?" Madoka asked.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Um..." Madoka struggled to put things in a context that didn't sound weird. "So… there's this girl from school."

"Oh!" Her mother gave a knowing and encouraging smile.

"No, it's not like that!" Madoka hastily corrected. "I just wanted to talk to her, but Sayaka got real upset. She doesn't like her for some reason."

"What reason would that be?" Junko said as she combed her hair.

"I don't know. I'm not sure if she really knows either. She says that that girl gives her the creeps though."

"Do you feel that way about her?"

"No… I kinda feel... sad for her. She never smiles and she's always alone."

"Maybe you should speak with her."

"But Sayaka says-"

"Sometimes you just have to ignore your friends."

"Wait, what?"

"Madoka, you have a good heart. I can tell you hate to see people sad. That's something I'm really proud of in you."

"And I should ignore Sayaka?"

"It's ultimately up to you. If she's truly your friend, then Sayaka might be upset at first, but she'll come around to understand your decision. I mean, that's if you decide to go through with it."

"I'm still not sure."

"Madoka. There are times when you have to listen to others, and times where you have to trust your own judgment on what to do. You can't always be beholden to others, or you'll end up being easy to take advantage of. Sometimes you just have to do what your heart tells you."

"I'm not sure _what_ it's telling me."

"Well if after weighing both options you still can't decide, just flip a coin!" Junko said with a wink.

"Really?"

"Sometimes you just have to pick a choice and commit to it."

"But what if it's the wrong one?"

"It's better than letting yourself get paralyzed by indecision. Life's too short. You can't know everything. Sometimes you just have to barrel ahead, hope for the best, and accept the consequences of whatever happens. That's really the secret. Nobody has all the answers. At the very least, it's good to make your mistakes now, while you're young."

Madoka paused as she gave her words some thought. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. And for what it's worth, I have full confidence that whatever you choose to do will be the right one." Junko checked her watch. "Now, I really do have to go now. It's going to be a long day..."

* * *

It was a beautiful day, Homura observed as she walked down the street. The air was clear and warm, though a cool breeze passed through. She closed her eyes and let the refreshing gale wash over her, feeling it blow her hair out behind her.

She then turned to Madoka next to her, who appeared to be doing the same thing.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself."

"It's a nice day. Who wouldn't?" Madoka said with a smile.

"I mean, they've all been nice lately." Homura said.

"Not just that." Madoka said. "It's you!"

"Me?"

"It's because your here with me. We haven't been able to be together in so long." Madoka said. "I've missed you."

"Um… m-me too." Homura stammered. "S-so what do you want to do next?"

"The fountain! Race ya!" Madoka took off running, giggling all the while.

"What?!" Surprised, Homura stumbled for a few moments, allowing Madoka to run out of sight. "Madoka! Wait!"

Homura ran through the park after her, eventually catching up to her at the plaza with the fountain.

"Took you long enough, slowpoke." Madoka laughed. Homura leaned over, catching her breath. Madoka held out a hand, helping her up.

"Sorry about that." She apologized.

"Don't worry, I'm okay." Homura said.

"Oh wow! It's amazing!"

When she looked up, she saw Madoka staring at the fountain. It had begun it's sequence, mixing spouts of water with multicolored lights, creating a beautiful rainbow display. Homura had to agree.

She then felt Madoka hold her hand.

"Homura, thanks for coming out here with me today. It's been wonderful!"

"We haven't done anything out of the ordinary. Just lunch and shopping at the mall."

"But it's with you!" Madoka said, looking at Homura. "It's always great when I'm with you! It doesn't really matter what were doing, I just like doing it with you!"

Homura blushed. "T-thanks. I like being with you too."

The fountain erupted water high into the air, creating a mist illuminated by rainbow lights.

"I wish every day could be like this." Madoka said.

"It could."

"What do you mean?"

Homura felt a grin spread across her face. "Madoka..."

"Homura, what's going on?"

It was easy. A twist of the arm and a sweep of her leg, and Madoka was on her back.

"Homura, what are you doing!" Madoka asked with wide eyes.

"We can be together, forever. Isn't that what you want, Madoka?" Homura's breathing became heavy. Excited. She straddled Madoka, using her legs to pin her arms. Madoka squirmed and struggled, but to no avail. She couldn't break free.

"Homura, your scaring me!" Tears formed in her eyes.

"Don't worry, it will all be over quick." Homura drew a knife from her sleeve while she caressed the trembling Madoka's cheek with her other hand. "And then we never have to leave each other..."

* * *

"_Madoka!"_

Homura awoke with a jolt, breathing heavily. It took a moment to calm down and realize where she was. She was sitting on the throne in her castle. It didn't take long to realize what had happened.

A dream. She had tried to sleep again.

Homura checked the time. Five minutes. It had only been five minutes since she had dozed off. She sighed. It didn't matter. She would just have to keep doing without sleep. Wasn't any more than what she deserved anyways.

She turned to see a large, demonic grinning face staring at her.

"What is it?" Homura asked the Clara Doll.

The doll said nothing and instead giggled, before prancing away. Homura rolled her eyes and stood up.

A single step took her from the throne room down to the jagged, rocky, beach. She looked back at her castle and island from there. Looking at it again, it really was an ugly mess. It fit.

She turned back to the ocean and sat down, an armchair appearing for her to slump in. A side table with a cold drink appeared next to her. For a while she simply sat there, observing the ocean, sipping her drink.

Eventually, she lifted her arm, the crystal on it appearing. Her Soul Gem emerged from it, and floated in front of her. She had pondered this thing many times. What was she in truth? She called herself the Devil, but that was just a title. Was she a Puella Magi again? Was she still a Witch? A Goddess? Was this truly a Soul Gem? A Grief Seed? Something else? When she wasn't reveling in her status, she had to admit that there was so much she didn't know about how it worked. How she had become what she was? She had absorbed the entire universe into her Labyrinth, so she could still be Homulilly. But she also had her human body and her mind. It was all a mystery.

It was then that Homura noticed something nearby. She turned to see a strange black ant-like creature. She first thought it one of her familiars, but quickly dismissed the idea. There were no natural animals on this island, so it couldn't be that. It wasn't a familiar, a witch, a wraith, or a nightmare. What was it?

The creature was simply staring at her, not making movements other than the twitches of it's antennae. Out of curiosity, she made her Soul Gem float back and forth, and watched as the creatures yellow gaze followed it with rapt attention. She returned the Gem to her hand and the creature focused on her.

Then, without warning, it leaped towards her, claws outstretched. Homura acted fast, vanishing from the chair, as the creature tore into it.

She reappeared on a rock nearby, watching as the strange creature tore into the chair, ripping out the stuffing like a savage animal. It paused abruptly in it's frenzied assault upon the upholstery and slowly turned to face Homura.

Without missing a beat it charged towards her again. She stepped aside, watching as the creature face planted into the ground. It would have been almost comical if the presence of the creature didn't put Homura on edge. It felt unnatural. Wrong. This was clearly some sort of magical creature, though one she hadn't seen before. She would have to learn more. With a flick of her wrist, a titanium cage formed over the shadow creature and dropped down on it. With it captive, she'd have plenty of time to study it and…

The creature suddenly flattened to the ground, becoming two-dimensional and slipping beneath the cage to freedom.

Well, that was annoying. When the creature made another leap at her, this time, Homura encased it in a diamond sphere. It clawed and pounded at it's new prison, and even attempted to flatten again, but to no avail. It was trapped. The sphere lowered into her hands where she now examined the creature close up. It really did look like a giant bug, albeit with only four limbs. It's yellow eyes were unblinking, and it made no expression. It's movements were jerky and stacatto, again uncomfortably resembling a bug the size of a dog. She could detect no mouth or any other orifice to the creature, and it's body seemed completely undifferentiated, lacking anything resembling pores, bones or veins.

Homura looked up into the air. "Reiketsu! Noroma!"

Two Clara Dolls appeared before her, accompanied by a platoon of Lotte soldiers. One of them with long blonde hair bowed. "_Sie haben uns gerufen?"_

Homura handed the diamond sphere to Reiketsu. "Take this to the north tower so that I might examine it. Noroma, search the island for any more of these creatures."

Both dolls nodded. Reiketsu departed, leaping towards the castle. Homura was about to join her, when she heard a strange sound, like water flowing, but distorted. As she watched, dark splotches formed across the beach, with hordes of the shadowy monsters emerging from them.

These ones were different, carrying oversized push daggers and wearing armor with a strange heart symbol emblazoned in the chest. The face-plates on their helms were open, revealing a face similar to the bug-like creature, but with the addition of a jagged mouth.

Immediately, the Lotte soldiers took formation, spears held forwards as they advanced. The invaders did the same, charging forwards in attack. _On her island._ These things dared to attack her_ here!_

Homura snarled as she held out her hand. Her black bow formed, with a purple energy string. When she pulled on the string arrows made of dark purple flames formed, aimed at the creatures locked in combat with the Lotte soldiers.

However, before she could fire them, something impacted her hard in the back. She was sent sprawling to the ground, though she quickly rose back to her feet and dodged out of the way as a towering creature encased in rock and wielding an axe came crashing down towards her, cracking the ground and kicking up a huge cloud of dust.

As she stood up, she found that she was grinning. The reason was immediately apparent. Screw all this complex long-term planning. This was a _fight_. It was _simple_. Something she knew intimately. Kill or be killed. Her clothes transformed into her Puella Magi uniform, and she relished the feeling. The pull and tug of the fabric. The click of the high heels. Homura ran her hands through her hair. She had missed this _so_ much.

Two of the armored creatures rushed towards her. She kicked one away, sending it smashing into a nearby boulder, destroying it. She ducked beneath the swing of the other and rose up, grabbing the creatures head. There, she squeezed, denting and cracking the armor while the creature twitched and writhed until it dispersed into a cloud of smoky darkness.

_Yes_, she could definitely do this. Her breathing intensified as a thrill ran through her. She dismissed the bow as the giant monster emerged from the dust cloud. Clenching her fist, she gave wild laugh and charged towards the creature while the battle raged around her.

* * *

_~Dragonexx_


	6. Closer to Home

**Chapter 6**

**Closer to Home**

* * *

Sayaka's deliberation over what musics to buy took far longer than expected. Madoka couldn't keep track of all these old composers, but it was apparently serious business to her friend. Mami too, as the two of them got into an almost heated debate which arrangement of a Mozart song was better.

Finally, however the decision was over (Sayaka seemed to have won) and everyone else could be on their way.

"So, what next?" Kyoko asked. "Because seriously, that took forever. And over some random guy who died hundreds of years ago."

"Mozart wasn't some 'random guy'! His contributions to the art and-"

"Yeah, yeah, he's your dead husbando."

"What? Why do you always go to that?"

Kyoko shrugged. "I'm hungry." Was the only response she offered.

"Good, because lunch is up next. After which we should check out the clothing store. Then the video games." Mami said. Cutting the argument before it could start and distracting Kyoko.

"Finally!" Kyoko and Nagisa lit up.

As Madoka watched the affair, she noticed something moving in the corner of her eye. When she turned to look at it, a dread chill went over her. She saw one of the shadow creatures from last night, disappearing down a hallway.

As she watched, she felt a twitch in her hands. The feeling from last night as well. She could almost feel the Keyblade in her hands.

She looked back to her friends, back at where the creature was, and then back again.

"You guys go ahead."

"Really? Why" Sayaka asked.

"There's something I want to check out. I'll meet you at the food court in a little while."

"Sure. Don't be long." Mami said.

"Right." Madoka took off in the direction of the creature, following it. It didn't appear to notice her and was instead fixated on whatever it's objective was. It went down into an area of the mall that was currently under construction, flattening and sliding beneath the gate.

Madoka paused, before taking a deep breath. This was clearly a restricted area. Should she really be doing this?

"_Sometimes you just have to barrel ahead, hope for the best, and accept the consequences of what happens."_

The words of her mother came back to her. She'd never find out what was going on if she backed down, even if she might get in trouble. She'd just have to grit her teeth and barrel forwards.

_Alright! Let's do this._

As it turned out the gate was locked when she tried to open it. Madoka sighed, an honest mixture of disappointment and relief. Well, if she couldn't get in there, then she'd just head back to where her friends were and-

The sensation in Madoka's hand suddenly heightened. Then Crystal Clarity appeared in her grip. Madoka looked at the Keyblade, and then looked around the area, panicking. Her fears died down as she saw no monsters approaching. So why had the Keyblade appeared then?

She looked at the Keyblade. And then back to the gate. And back to the Keyblade. And then back to the gate. An idea formed in her head. Perhaps…

She pointed Crystal Clarity at the gate and she felt an energetic thrill run through her. The tip of the blade lit up forming a circle of light. From there, a beam of light shot out towards the gate, so bright Madoka had to close her eyes.

She panicked for a second, had she destroyed it?! She'd definitely get in trouble for blowing something up!

When the spots cleared, she breathed a sigh of relief. The gate was still there, though when she gave it a push, it opened.

She looked back at Crystal Clarity, and almost slapped herself. It was a giant key. Keys unlocked things. As she watched, the Keyblade faded away in her grip.

Steeling herself, Madoka walked into the blocked off area. The gate closed behind her, and instantly, the sounds of the mall became muffled, and then silent.

It wasn't long before she could hear voices.

"Well this appears to be a bust. How much longer are we gonna have to stay here?" It was a male voice.

"Cease your prattling, imbecile." It sounded like an old woman.

"But these in-between worlds always put me on edge."

Madoka slowed her movement as she got closer. She rounded a corner and quickly ducked behind a pile of construction equipment as she saw the two speakers.

"It will all mean nothing once I've found what I'm looking for."

Curious, Madoka peeked through a gap in the pile. The two figures were a very fat man with a large beard while his partner was a very tall, thin, and pale old woman, leaning on a cane. Something about these two put her on edge. It was like there was an _aura_ about them. It made her skin crawl, reminding her of when she was engulfed in darkness in her dream.

"How do you know that it's even real? That cloaked fella could have been pulling one on us."

"The Book of Prophecies is real! Do not question me you dolt!" The old woman hissed. The fat man shied away from her, clear intimidation showing on his face. "I will have it for my own and you will keep searching until I do!"

As Madoka watched, their forms seemed to waver and flicker, almost indistinct. She then felt the same sensation in her hand from moment ago. The Keyblade was reacting to them again?

"Do you even have any leads on it though? It kinda feels like we're just hopping around randomly."

"Of course I have leads!"

As Madoka watched, she noticed the shadowy creatures were gathering around this odd pair. Were they responsible for them? She felt her hand twitch. The Keyblade clearly was reacting to them. She had to get closer. There was definitely something off about them.

She crept from her hiding spot, inching ever so closer. She needed to hear more. They definitely must know what was going on. So far, nobody had noticed her presence, and she-

Madoka gave a shriek as she tripped over a bit of debris and stumbled onto her knees.

"What was that?"

"It would appear that we are not alone."

"Don't tell me it's that stupid brat and his pals again."

"We shall see. Come out if you know what's good for you!"

Madoka remained silent. Maybe they'd think it was just the wind. Or a mouse. Maybe they'd go back to whatever they were talking about. Maybe they'd _levitate the boxes she was hiding behind!_

"There you are!"

Madoka felt her heart pounding in her chest. That woman's gaze was terrifying. Every instinct screamed at her to run, but for some reason her legs wouldn't respond.

The woman gestured, and Madoka was lifted off her feet and into the air. As she watched, the man and woman changed appearance. The man became more like a cartoonish humanoid cat wearing a strange jumpsuit. It was almost comical.

The woman was another story. Her dress became flowing black robes while her skin took on an unnatural green-white hue. She no longer had hair, her face instead being framed in black scales, with demonic looking horns coming out of her head. Her cane became a staff tipped with a green gemstone.

Madoka struggled and flailed, but she remained floating. Then, bands made of green flames encased her arms and legs like manacles, binding her. She was floated towards the woman, who grabbed her face with one of her clawed hands, forcing Madoka to look in her yellow slitted eyes. She shivered. Her hands were like ice.

"_Who are you?_" Her voice echoed loudly. Her breath smelled like burning.

"Looks like she's just a local."

"_I will be the judge of that. Now answer me!_" The woman's claws dug into her cheeks.

"I-I'm Madoka Kaname."

"_Who sent you?_" The woman asked.

"S-sent me? Nobody!" Madoka stammered.

"_Fine, Madoka Kaname. Then can you tell me about a black box?"_

"A what? I d-don't know what your talking about!" The woman clearly didn't like that, her expression darkening.

"_Then you are useless to me!"_ The woman snarled. Her grip tightened, and a chill ran all throughout Madoka's body. It didn't last long, as warmth soon replaced it.

Crystal Clarity appeared in her hands. The flaming manacles vanished and she dropped to the ground, landing on her rear.

The shadowy creatures took notice at this point, all their beady, yellow, eyes focused on her.

"Aaah! Another one!" The fat cat exclaimed. "I knew she was with that brat!"

"Another one?" Madoka asked as she rose to her feet, keeping the Keyblade between her and the cat. Just holding it made her feel more confident. "And who are you talking about?"

"I'm sure ya'd love to know, but you'll be a Heartless soon enough, so what's it matter?!" The fat cat chuckled and pounded his fists together.

The demon-woman instead rolled her eyes. "_Leave her. She's not our concern._"

"W-what? Why Maleficent?"

"_Our concern is the box. Picking a fight with a Keyblade wielder can be… time consuming... and I have no interest in wasting my valuable time with that old man's schemes."_

The woman gestured, and a mass of writhing shadows appeared. She walked towards it.

"Hey, where are you going?! What old man?!" Madoka said. "What's even going on?!"

"_You really are a novice aren't you? If I had a shred of empathy in me, I might even feel sorry for what you're likely in for."_ The woman, apparently called Maleficent, grinned. "_That is, if the Heartless don't end you first!"_

Maleficent gave a shrill laugh as she passed through the vortex, the fat cat waddling behind her. "Wait for meeee!"

The laughter echoed for a time, even after the vortex dissipated. In its stead, more of the shadowy creatures (apparently called Heartless?) appeared.

Madoka gripped the Keyblade, preparing herself for the onslaught as the Heartless approached. Among them were the bug like creatures from last night, though there were new ones this time. They stood on two legs, and wore odd, clam shaped helms open to reveal a face consisting of glowing yellow eyes and a jagged mouth. They bore a strange heart-shaped symbol on their chest, though most threatening of all were their razor sharp looking bright red claws.

One of them immediately rushed towards her, spinning wildly. Madoka leaped out of the way and spun to the side while slashing the keyblade, destroying it. Unlike the bug creatures, when this one was destroyed, she saw a glowing pink heart-shaped object fly up and out of the dark cloud before fading away. She marveled at it, and almost got hit when another Heartless attacked her.

Thankfully, she managed to strike it down, and then backed away as the entire group rushed towards her. She kept backpedaling, swiping at the Heartless as they mindlessly rushed towards her. When she almost fell over after backing into a pile of crates, she leaped on top of them, striking at the Heartless as they attempted to climb on.

It wasn't going to last. The Heartless were surrounding the pile and were now ramming against it, causing the crates to rock back and forth dangerously. She was going to fall into the mob!

The crates rocked even further, and Madoka struggled to keep her balance, before it gave way entirely, and was sent stumbling back towards the edge of the pile. As she did sensation of falling into darkness from her dream crept back into her mind, her skin crawling at the mere memory of it. No! She couldn't let that happen. She _wasn't_ going to let that happen.

Madoka felt a strange sensation surge through her, like a shot of adrenaline mixed with too much espresso and a massive sugar high. Even as the box tumbled over, Madoka kicked off the corner of it, and felt herself go flying away.

Though she was moving incredibly fast, everything felt perfectly clear. She was aware of her surroundings more than she ever felt she had in her life.

It was almost trivial to see the pipe getting closer. Even though it didn't seem like it could support her weight, she grabbed onto it with ease, spinning around it, before letting go, launching herself back at the mob of heartless. As she did so, she held out her Keyblade, and felt the energetic sensation seem to move, almost "flow" through her body towards the weapon, and she saw it glow with a pink aura. As she flew over the Heartless, she lifted the blade and for a moment, everything seemed to stand still. She then came crashing to the ground, smack in the middle of the crowd. An explosion of pink light burst outwards from her point of impact.

When Madoka's vision cleared from the spots, she saw the Heartless had been scattered across the entire area, fading away into darkness, some releasing that strange object. She also saw that the pile of crates had been destroyed, reduced to splinters, and other construction equipment had been damaged or destroyed as well.

_Did, _I _do that?! _Madoka thought, with horror. The energetic feeling had left her, but she didn't feel any worse for wear. And she had destroyed a construction site. She stared at Crystal Clarity, trying to process what had just happened. What _was_ this thing? What was even _happening?_

She something moving against her thigh and jumped, brandishing the Keyblade. It was then that she realized it was her phone. Her friends! They were waiting for her! The Keyblade faded away as she rushed back to the food court.

* * *

_Later that night…_

Whatever Junko's expectations for the day had been, the reality was even worse. As a woman it was difficult enough getting those old men to take her seriously. That so many of them were incompetent, out of touch, behind the times, and blinded by their own egos made things that much more frustrating. If she were in charge, things would be running so much more effectively. Heck, maybe she _should_ do that. Start her own business, show them all how it's done. Junko laughed as she realized if she did that she'd have those arrogant pricks on their knees, eating out of the palm of her hand before long.

But that was a thought for another day. Now, she was on the road home, and the only thing she really looked forwards to was the warmth of her husband in one arm, and a cold drink in the other.

_Yeah, that's real bliss right there…_

Junko was distracted from her daydreams by movement in the corner of her eye. She turned to see a coal black face with glowing yellow eyes.

Everything after that was a blur of wild motion, skidding tires, breaking glass. Junko blacked out.

* * *

She came to, unsure of what had happened, only to take in a deep breath, and have the memories come back with the pain. She realized that her car had been flipped over. She had crashed.

Junko took a quick assessment of her body. Pains that indicated several cuts and bruises, as well as at least one broken rib.

Well, she wasn't going to let that stop her.

Gritting her teeth, she shifted her position, lowering herself to the ceiling of the car, then unbuckling her seatbelt. From there, she inched her way towards the window, thankful that most of the broken glass was either elsewhere in the car or outside. She squeezed her way through the broken window, and out onto the freeway. There she rolled over onto her back to catch her breath. She was alive, and mostly intact. She reached for her phone, first to call an ambulance, then to call her family, only to realize it was still her purse which was in the car. Damn.

It was then that she heard the sound of an approaching vehicle, slowing down and stopping. Well it seemed there were still Good Samaritans in the world after all. She turned to look at her rescuer, and squinted, not sure of what she was seeing. Maybe she had hit her head harder than she thought, because she could swear that car was standing up on its hind wheels.

* * *

_Thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding._

_~Dragonexx_


	7. Unravelling

**Chapter 7**

**Unravelling**

* * *

The Incubator shaped monsters were all the proof she needed that there was some sort of intelligent and sinister plot behind the attack on her island. Unfortunately, Homura had no idea how to go about finding whoever was orchestrating this.

Her first suspect had been the Incubator itself, but the familiars she kept guarding it at all times had reported no change in the little pests behavior. So clearly, the Incubator shaped monster was just to mess with her.

Made even worse was that any examination of her enemies only raised more questions. After the fight, she had immediately warped to the tower where the bug creature was being kept, expecting to find some answers.

Instead, it made her long for more things to fight. Nothing she tried seemed to yield any form of answer, only instead confusing her further. Scans revealed that the captive creature had no organs, no veins, no skeleton, heck, no cells at all! It's body seemed to be made of entirely the same material. Looking further revealed that it didn't even have _atoms_. How was that even possible?

Trying to understand what she was seeing only served to give her a headache, and make her long for the fight, enjoying the feeling of the kickback as she unloaded a machine gun into crowds of these creatures. Maybe she could stage a mock battle with her familiars…

_After_ she had fully appraised this threat, and ensured her dear Madoka's safety. She needed to continue working. There was much to do. However when she tried to stand, a sudden weariness came over her, mixed with some dizziness. She leaned against the desk, gripping her head. She felt so worn out. Her body ached, her joints were stiff, and her eyes stung. Her throat felt dry and her breath felt raspy. Maybe she could take a break. A nap looked so appealing right about now…

_No!_

She couldn't rest. If she did… She hated thinking about what happened when she did. Best to keep moving. She forced herself away from the desk and slapped herself, jolting her to awareness. She couldn't sleep. Not now. Not ever.

But maybe instead…

With a step, Homura returned to the beach. From there, she looked back at the castle, her frown deepening. What was she thinking? Building an over the top evil lair like some edgy brat. She was overcome with a sudden urge to destroy it, but stopped. The urge faded after a while.

Homura turned towards the ocean, watching the waves. Eventually, the sound came to her head. Slow, elegant, and rhythmic music only she could hear. She got into position, and began to twirl and leap. She had no particular sequence in mind, instead letting the movements come to her as they did.

In truth she didn't know why she felt the urge to dance nowadays. She might have blamed it on Homulilly. She had once been the Nutcracker Witch but she had felt no urge to dance back then. Now, it felt like the only real solace she had, losing herself in the graceful movements.

Eventually, however, the song came to an end, the music in her mind fading. Brief respites like these were all she was allowed, and then everything in reality came crashing back.

The shadow monsters. She sighed. What were they? She recalled the heart-shaped symbol they carried. It reminded her of the symbols of Witches. They very well could be a familiar of some sort, but then where was the Witch who created them?

Regardless, if there was a Witch, then things had gotten a whole lot more dangerous. Before investigating, she should check up on Madoka, make sure she was safe. And then move from there.

With a step, the world flew past Homura, and she arrived outside her home, invisibly of course. When she took stock of her location, her heart sank into her stomach.

* * *

When Sayaka saw the police car outside of Madoka's house, all her worries were confirmed. She picked up her pace, almost running. Madoka had been acting off the last few days. Sayaka hadn't said anything directly, but she could always tell when something was bothering her best friend. She had talked to Homura, _Homura_ of all people! And then at the mall, she had abruptly ran off without any real explanation, and came back looking shaken and scuffed up. The others seemingly hadn't noticed, but even after they had been apart for years, Sayaka knew Madoka. Something was wrong with her.

As she approached the gate, she could overhear the conversation.

"We've checked with every hospital in Mitakihara. Nobody named Junko Kaname or anyone resembling her appearance has been admitted." The officer said.

"Are you sure?" A worried male voice. Must be Mr. Kaname.

"I'm sorry, sir. Do you have anything we could go off of? Anything out of the ordinary? What was the last thing she said to you?"

"She told me she was working late. But that's something she does often. Are you sure there's nothing you can do?"

The police officer sighed. "Look, I'm going to be honest, we have no real leads on this case. The high-ups are scrambling day and night to find something, anything. Considering so many prominent and well known figures have gone missing, human trafficking is looking very unlikely. Were talking business leaders, politicians, celebrities, the kind of people who's disappearances get noticed. The next logical guess would be some kind of terrorists, but there's been no release of any demands or dissemination of any kind of ideology. Heck, at this point, maybe all the tinfoil hats are right and it really is aliens."

There was a disappointed growl. "Thank you for your time, officer."

"For what it's worth, I've lost friends as well. I understand what your going through. I'll inform you the minute we find anything."

Sayaka approached the house as the police officer left, with a small nod to her. Mr. Kaname's eyes widened. "Sayaka? How much of that did you hear?"

"Most of it." She said.

He lowered his head. "I'm sorry to have bothered you with something like this."

"It's fine." Sayaka replied.

Mr. Kaname's eyes looked red, like he had been crying. Behind him, Madoka didn't look much better.

"Why are you here anyways" Mr. Kaname asked.

"Papa, we were going to go out shopping again today." Madoka said.

Mr. Kaname paused, and then his frown deepened. "Madoka, please don't."

"What? Why?"

"It's… just… for the time being, I'd feel a lot better if you stayed here."

"Oh…" Madoka turned around and went back inside.

She couldn't let it end here though. "Mr. Kaname. Do you mind if I hang out here, with Madoka then?"

"I don't see why not. It'd certainly help her take her mind off of things."

"Thanks." Sayaka said. She rushed up the stairs and to Madoka's room.

"Knock knock! You decent?" Sayaka said. "Not that I'd mind either way…

"Sayaka? Is that you?" Madoka quickly opened the door. She then looked around the hallway. "Come in!"

"Ooh, I like where this is going!" Sayaka said.

Madoka's eyes rolled, but she saw her grin slightly. Score!

Sayaka followed Madoka into her room. It still looked the same as always, a collection of stuffed animals, and pink everywhere.

Madoka sat down on the bed while Sayaka took the chair.

"So..." She had to get to the bottom of this. Something had been off about her for the last couple days. She wasn't entirely sure about this, but she couldn't back down. She took a deep breath. "Sorry about your mom."

Madoka looked to the ground. She looked sad, but there seemed to be some guilt mixed in there as well. Why though?

"What happened?"

"She said she was working late, which is normal for her. But, then she never came home. Papa got worried. He kept trying to call, but no answer. He called her office, but they said she already left. So he called the police. At about 4 in the morning, they found her car crashed by the side of the road, but no sign of her." Madoka looked like she was about to cry

"Oh…" This was a bad idea. "Don't worry, I'm sure they'll find her."

Madoka looked away, staring out the window. She was breathing heavily, and clenching and unclenching her fists, like she was trying to psyche herself up. What was going on?

Madoka took a deep breath. "Sayaka, can you keep a secret? At least for a little while?"

She was tempted to make a flirtatious joke, but thought better of it. This felt serious. "Yes. What is it?"

Madoka closed her eyes and held out her hand, like she was concentrating. Then the strangest thing Sayaka had ever seen in her life happened. There was a flash of light, and a dance of flower petals, and suddenly, Madoka was holding a _giant key._

"What the hell?!" She couldn't help herself, falling out of her chair.

"Quiet!" Madoka hissed.

"S-Sorry!" Sayaka said, eyes still wide, unable to take them off of the _giant key_, that Madoka was now holding. When she managed to get some semblance of composure, she started questioning.

"Still, what the heck is that?!"

"It's called a Keyblade. This one's name is Crystal Clarity." Madoka said.

"A Keyblade?! This one?! Crystal Clarity?! What's that even mean?!" Sayaka exclaimed.

So Madoka launched into her story. Sayaka stared with rapt attention, barely managing to process everything she was saying. A dream with stained glass depictions of herself and her friends? Shadowy bug monsters? A cat man and a demon woman? It was like she had stepped into some sort of anime.

And it all was apparently centered around that thing called a Keyblade.

"Can I see it?" Sayaka asked.

"Sure." Madoka said. She handed the blade to Sayaka, who gave it a few swings. Despite the fact that it looked more like it belonged in an art gallery than on a battlefield, she had to admit it felt sturdy and well-balanced in her grip. She gave the weapon back to Madoka.

"Wow… this is… a lot to take in." Sayaka said. It did seem fairly simple however when one took a step back. Madoka was some sort of chosen one. There were supernatural monsters called Heartless on the loose, apparently under the control of a pair of villains.

"Well, it all seems simple. Fight the monsters, beat the bad guys, save the world!" Sayaka said, with a smile. Unfortunately, Madoka didn't seem to share her enthusiasm. She looked even more sad.

"What's wrong? I know it seems scary, but I'll be there for you! I'll protect you!"

"It's not that. It's… Mama. That cat guy said he was going to turn me into a Heartless. What if Mama was turned into a Heartless? What if one of those Heartless I fought was my mother? _What if I killed my Mother?!_" Madoka struggled not to sob.

"Whoa." Sayaka was at a loss for words. That was… Wait! "You fought those guys around noon right?"

"Yes."

"Ms. Kaname didn't go missing until after dark. So, there's no way you could have fought your mom!" Sayaka deduced.

Madoka pondered for a moment, then seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "Thanks."

"But it does leave the question, what do we do now?"

Madoka looked out the window again. "Homura."

Sayaka stiffened, the mere mention of her name making her uneasy. "Why?" She managed to ask.

"She was in my dream. When I told her about it, she seemed curious. She must know something!" Madoka said.

No. She couldn't let her do this. "Stay away from her. I keep telling you, she's bad news!"

"Why do you have it in for her so much? Honestly?"

"It's because..." Come to think of it, why _did_ she hate Homura so much? Every time she came up, Sayaka always felt an intense loathing. It felt like Homura had done something wrong. Something awful and unforgivable. But what?

"_You, Homura Akemi, are a demon!_"

It was her voice. Her words. Sayaka _knew_ that. She'd _always_ known that. Yet she could not explain _why_. Like something was missing. Something important.

"I… don't know." She admitted. "I still don't trust her."

"Maybe, but she's the only lead we have right now. I have to see her."

Sayaka grit her teeth. She didn't like it, but Madoka made sense.

"Fine. Let's go."

"Actually, can you please stay here?"

"What? Why?"

"I'm worried about Papa and Tatsuya. I need you to keep a watch on them, make sure they're okay. Call me immediately if something happens."

Sayaka took a deep breath. Madoka made sense again. Dammit, she didn't like this one bit. "Alright."

Madoka stood up, left the room briefly, came back, and opened the window.

"What are you doing?" Sayaka asked.

"Papa's asleep downstairs, by the front door. Tatsuya's next to him. I don't want them to worry, so hopefully, they'll never know I was gone."

"What?!" Sayaka gasped as she saw Madoka leap out the second story window, a pink aura surrounding her.

* * *

After the police report was finished, Homura stepped away. There was nothing more to see. Now, one question burned on her mind.

_Where was Junko Kaname?!_

Homura was growing increasingly frustrated. There was no trace of the woman in Mitakihara City. She had scoured hospitals, shelters, gang hideouts, prisons, businesses, military bases, and everywhere else she could think of to find her, and came up empty. She had expanded her search to the region and then the entire country, only to conclude that Junko Kaname was not in Japan.

She expanded her search across Asia, then Europe and Africa, and then to the Americas and Australia. She even went to _Antarctica_! And yet nothing. No trace of her, as if she had disappeared off the face of the earth.

Her thoughts went to the strange creatures that had attacked her earlier. The Witch theory was starting to look more likely. Had Junko Kaname been pulled into a Labyrinth? But how was a Witch even possible? Madoka had destroyed them prior, and Homura's better world, there were no Magical Girls to begin with.

She supposed it was a question for later. Right now, what mattered was a course of action. Considering how long Junko Kaname had been missing, if she was trapped in a Labyrinth, she was likely to be dead. In which case, creating a duplicate of her would be necessary. Regardless, hunting down the Witch took priority.

Homura returned to her manor in Mitakihara, gathering her familiars and preparing to fan out and search from there, only to pause in shock again as she looked at who was standing at the front gates.

* * *

Madoka had never liked roller coasters, the sensation of vertigo and falling always made her nauseous. So, it was quite to her surprise that when she was using her powers to leap across the city that she felt perfectly fine. Great even. She leaped from rooftop to rooftop, bouncing off walls and even windows that should not have been able to support her weight. Yet the glass didn't break. She grabbed onto a light pole, and swung around, launching herself into the air where defying all logic (and common sense) she landed on a power line and began grinding down it.

Throughout the entire time she couldn't help but give out cries of excitement, never mind the circumstances. Here she was, running and leaping across the city like a ninja, feeling the wind rush past her, and she couldn't help but laugh.

Soon enough, she arrived at her destination, on the outskirts of the city, and gasped at what she saw. A mansion. She had looked up the information and the records stated that she lived here. But really? A sprawling mansion?

She walked up to the front gates. She didn't see any indication of where to enter so she called out. "Homura? Are you there? I need to talk to you!"

What was Madoka doing here? _What was Madoka doing here?!_ She was at her house. _She should be at her house!_

_No!_ Homura took a deep breath. She would be calm about this. No need to panic. The would just talk. She should welcome her inside. It was getting close to noon. They could have lunch. That would work well.

But then Homura thought back to her dining hall. The only place to eat in the house, and it was a large room. What was she thinking? A smaller room would have worked better. But what kind of smaller? Her first thoughts were of a breakfast room with a table fit for two. No, too intimate. Maybe a larger room? But not too large, or she felt like she would be showing off. Maybe instead-

* * *

Surely, Mistress Good-For-Nothing was a most indecisive and cruel beast, yet, was it not the fate of the mistress and her creations to suffer? Nekura was most unfortunate to have responded to Good-For-Nothings commands to prepare a lunch, only to have the dining room spontaneously warp. As she was setting the table, the walls suddenly closed in with rapid force, launching her across the long table that splintered behind her, and ending up in a pile of broken porcelain. The room had contracted, though it didn't last long, barely enough for Nekura to rise, before the room changed again, the pile of porcelain springing up into round rustic wooden table, launching her head through the ceiling. Then the ceiling shifted, dropping her to the ground, in a room that was now rapidly filling to the brim with Hollandaise Sauce…

* * *

And then if she took the weather balloon and-

"Hello? Is Homura here?"

Oh right. Madoka was still at the front door. She had grown noticeably over the past few years, developing more of a bust and more curves, even if she hadn't grown too much in height. She was beautiful as always, so much unlike herself. She still wore those ribbons with the same cute hairstyle. It was summer break, so she wasn't in her uniform, and instead wore a white tube top and black miniskirt, with white thigh-high stockings and a pink jacket. Madoka still had that unsure demeanor about herself however, which made a knot form in Homura's stomach at the thought of it. Despite growing some, she was still so insecure. But there wasn't any time to dwell on that.

Homura took a deep breath and stepped outside. She could do this. Just stay calm.

* * *

The gate opened in front of Madoka, which she took as a sign that she should enter. And then Homura stepped out the front door. Madoka had to admit she had been jealous of Homura's looks for a long time. She was so tall and slender, and her hair was so long and silky in a way that Madoka could never dream of hers being. She had long, shapely legs, and her body was lithe and graceful like a dancer.

And she lived in a massive mansion like this. It made Madoka feel slightly intimidated. There were plenty of boys and girls at school who were clearly attracted to Homura, but she never really seemed to acknowledge or even notice any of them. She had perfect grades and was incredibly athletic, and she was _walking right towards her_.

Madoka hoped if she was blushing, it wasn't obvious.

"Madoka Kaname? Why are you here?" Her voice was neutral, she didn't seem to be surprised to see her despite the sudden visit.

Madoka thought back to everything that had happened over the past few days. The Keyblade. The Heartless. The strange dreams. The half-remembered conversation. It had all led her here. She had no doubt that Homura knew some truth that she didn't.

"Homura. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but there have been things happening. Around this city. Around me. To me. I'm still completely confused, but I think you have answers."

Homura stiffened at Madoka's words. Had she offended her? Was she too direct?

"What... kind of things?" Homura finally answered.

"It starts with the dream, and then-" Before Madoka could say anything else, she heard a sound, like some sort of distorted water flow, and Heartless appeared all around them.

* * *

_~Dragonexx_


	8. Tapana

**Chapter 8**

**Tapana**

* * *

They were here! Madoka was in danger! Homura stepped forwards, ready to fight. "Madoka get back-"

"Heartless! Homura, get back! I'll protect you!"

"-I'll prote- _WHAT?!_"

It was like ice had filled her entire body. She saw a key-like weapon form in Madoka's hands, resembling the bow she once wielded. She watched as Madoka stepped in front of her, brandishing the strange key shaped sword. Homura stood frozen and transfixed as she watched Madoka rush forwards and fight the monsters.

_No! No! No! No! _This couldn't be happening. Madoka was safe. She wasn't a goddess anymore! She wasn't a Puella Magi anymore! She was just a girl! Why was this happening?!

She barely noticed as the creatures were slain, Madoka's sword making short work of them as she leaped about the battlefield. She then turned to Homura, who was still struggling to process everything she was seeing.

"Homura! Are you okay?! The Heartless didn't hurt you did they?"

She felt numb. She had failed. Madoka was still fighting.

"Homura? Earth to Homura!"

What? Madoka was speaking to her. She should say something.

"Madoka Kaname... Are you okay?!" The words sounded muffled, distant. As if someone else was saying them.

"Yeah. I'm fine." She said. "It's not my first run in with the Heartless. But I still need answers."

_Not my first run in..._

Homura transformed her clothes, donning her Puella Magi uniform.

"Whoa!"

She needed time to think. This wasn't right. She needed to gather answers and find out what had gone wrong. What was wrong with Madoka.

"Please, return home." Homura said.

"What? But-"

Homura gestured, and the world warped. Madoka was transported to the front of her house.

Homura walked back into the house. Inside, she saw several of the Lotte soldiers, sweeping up some broken glass. Apparently, one of the "Heartless" had appeared inside the house and caused some damage before being destroyed.

She watched the dolls cleaning up. Soldiers with spears slung over their backs were sweeping up. It was a stupid looking sight. And the sound of all that broken glass being swept was grating to her ears. One of the Lotte turned and began to salute her. They looked stupid. Stupid. So stupid… _She was so stupid!_

She grabbed it by the neck and hurled it out the window. Before any others could react, she grabbed another and tore it in half.

Homura screamed.

_I'm so stupid. How did I ever think this could work! _

She punched another, and then smashed another into the ground.

_How could I have not noticed! _

She grabbed a vase and smashed it into a painting, destroying both.

_So fucking stupid! Can't anything fucking work! No! No it can't!_

She lifted a cabinet, and smashed it through the wall, ripping open pipes which gushed out water.

_Stupid! So fucking stupid!_

Homura collapsed to the ground, screaming, sobbing, and gripping her head as glowing hands erupted from her body, tearing through the manor. Furniture was smashed, appliances were hurled about, and walls punched through, while her familiars fled in panic. A car was lifted and hurled out of the garage and through most of the house, where the engine caught fire. The lights simply exploded.

Eventually the storm abated, leaving the manor in ruins. The hands faded away and Homura stood up, wiping away her tears. She couldn't just stand around here. She needed to investigate. Something was wrong with Madoka, and she needed to fix it. The key she was wielding resembled the bow she had once wielded. That could mean only one thing.

"_**INCUBATOR!**" _Homura shouted at the top of her lungs. Her outfit changed, transforming into the dress she wore when she became the Devil. Black wings spread from her back as her eyes blazed with purple fire.

Homura took off straight up, bursting through the roof of the manor. She then took off through the air, flying at super sonic speeds, a blazing purple comet in the sky. The ocean steamed and bubbled in her wake as she flew towards her island, howling in rage.

She didn't pause when she reached it, instead smashing through the side of the volcano, straight into the dungeons of her castle, only stopping once she reached one of the cells.

Outside the cell was a full compliment of Lotte, led by a Clara. Inside the cell a tiny white creature was trapped in a cage too small for it. Its fur was dirty, mangy, and wild, and its eyes were bulging and shaking. Its breathing was labored and raspy.

_{H-ho… mu… ra.} _Kyubey's telepathic voice, almost always calm, was now weak and fearful.

"What have you done?!" Homura demanded. The cage broke apart and she lifted Kyubey into the air by its neck.

_{I'm not sure what you mean?} _Kyubey replied.

"Don't play dumb! Madoka! What have you done to Madoka?!"

_{I h-have had no contact with Madoka Kaname. Why do you ask?}_

"She's a Puella Magi again! Fighting creatures she calls Heartless!"

_{Is she? T-that's interesting. I have n-n-not, nor h-has any other Incubator, made a new Contract with her. As to these Heartless…}_

"Do you know anything about them?!" Homura shouted.

_{Knowledge of these Heartless exists.}_

"What do you know?! Tell me!"

Kyubey instead twitched. Its eyes rolled back and forth.

_{It's d-difficult to th-think in this state.}_

Homura paused, and considered it's words. She then hurled the creature to the ground. A pistol formed in her hands, and she opened fire. Earlier, whenever she attacked the Incubator, it reacted at most with annoyance when it wasn't trying to use it's injuries to score pity points with Madoka. Now, it writhed on the ground, screaming in pain, powerless.

_Oh yes! _A massive smile spread across Homura's face. She unloaded the entire clip into the little cretin, the prison echoing with the sound of gunshots. After a moments thought, she reloaded the gun and emptied another clip into Kyubey while it was helpless to fight back. _That's what you get!_

"No more of your word games! Give me a straight answer! Do you know anything about the Heartless that I do not!"

Kyubey was silent and limp.

"For how advanced and rational they claim to be, the Incubators are startlingly ignorant in so many matters. They do not possess the knowledge you seek." A voice behind her said.

"I want to hear it _say _it." Homura snarled. She held out her hand, and the ground beneath Kyubey began to crack. It was levitated into the air as lava surged forwards, the ground melting away. Homura levitated Kyubey over the lava, roasting it. The creature screamed in pure horror as it's fur began to blacken and burn.

"I know your still in there! Answer the question! Do you know anything about the Heartless that I do not! _Yes or no!_"

_{No! No! No!}_ Kyubey screamed.

"There. Was that so hard?" Homura said. She returned the cell to it's normal state, dropping Kyubey, not even bothering to recreate the cage. It stumbled over to a corner and curled up, shuddering while staring at Homura fearfully. Small victories.

It was then that she realized that someone had spoken behind her. She turned, and then gasped in shock.

"_Kyosuke?!"_

* * *

Before she could even finish her sentence, Madoka found herself standing outside her house. She didn't believe her eyes at first, but quickly had no choice other than to accept that she had somehow been _teleported_.

And Homura had sent her away. But that transformation. Her clothes had changed into some weird getup, that kind of reminded her of the outfit she had seen herself wear in her dream.

Homura definitely had answers. She wanted Madoka to wait. But she got the feeling that if she did, she'd lose her chance of finding anything out.

She looked up at the sky. It was completely obscured by thick dark clouds, and lightning flashed within them.

She couldn't stop here. She had to go back. She took off running, leaping onto the nearby rooftops, making her way across the city. Madoka wouldn't be ignored. She'd get her answers.

Unfortunately, her trip was interrupted by the sudden ringing of her phone. When she saw it was Sayaka, she immediately answered it.

"Sayaka? Is that you? What's wrong?"

"_Madoka! You have to get back her ASAP! It's-" _There was a crackling sound, and then silence.

"Sayaka?!" The call had ended. Madoka noticed a shadow pass over her, and looked up to see a horde of bat shaped heartless flying through the air. Headed in the direction of…

"Home!" Madoka said. "No! No!"

She took off running, leaping across the buildings, returning to her house, hoping she wouldn't find what she expected. Unfortunately, her hopes were not met. Heartless crowded around her home, windows had been broken and the front door was kicked down. Smoke trailed out from inside the building.

Madoka didn't waste any time, she leaped over the mass of heartless outside and came crashing down on them, channeling the energy she used to leap around into an explosion of energy upon impacting the ground, destroying all of them. She rushed towards the front door, only to narrowly dodge a sudden _fireball_. Madoka looked up to see some sort of armless, bell shaped, Heartless with a yellow hat. As it flew close to her, it glowed, and a fireball streaked out from it. Madoka dodged the projectile, which struck the bushes, setting them on fire. She leaped up into the air, smacking the Heartless to the ground, destroying it.

She then rushed into the front door, cutting down the Heartless blocking her path.

"Papa?! Tatsuya?!" Madoka called. Smoke was gradually filling the building. She heard a crashing sound and a scream from the kitchen. _No!_ It couldn't be what she thought that was.

She rushed into the room to have all her worse fears confirmed. She froze as she saw her father was lying on the ground, blood pooling around him. He struggled to pick himself up. Standing over him was a Heartless that resembled the little bug-like ones, but human sized and covered in glowing blue veins.

"_Madoka… Run…" _Tomihisa croaked out as he looked weakly at her. Then his eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed. From his chest, a glowing orb like object emerged. Madoka could only stare, transfixed. It was a beautiful, thing, though that awe soon turned to horror as the glowing orb was engulfed in darkness. That darkness then expanded, growing arms and legs and antennae until it transformed into one of the bug Heartless.

Tomohisa's body faded away as the bug creature turned it's eyes towards Madoka. Like all the others, its expression was unreadable. It slowly crawled towards Madoka, keeping its gaze locked on her.

"Papa?" She asked, looking into it's yellow eyes. Without warning, the Heartless leaped towards Madoka. She frantically backed away, and instead stumbled back over a chair, while the Heartless leaped up on top of her. It swiped it's claws, drawing a series of cuts along her cheek. She pushed the monster off of her and stood up, backing away from the Heartless while keeping her Keyblade pointed at it.

"S-stay away!" She said, her voice cracking. The blade shook as the Heartless steadily crawled towards her again. If that was her father, she couldn't kill it. But what should she do then? Him or her? Did it really come down to that?

She was shook out of it by the sound of crying in the next room. Cries she recognized instantly. "_Tatsuya!_"

Madoka tore herself away from the Heartless that might be her father and rushed over into the living room. There she could see Tatsuya cowering beneath a table while Heartless tried to reach under it to get at him.

"_Stay away from him!_" She shouted, and charged forwards, cutting them apart with Crystal Clarity.

"Madoka?" Tatsuya sobbed.

"Yes it's me!" She said. "It's your big sis!"

Tatsuya crawled out from under the table, and immediately rushed over to Madoka, sobbing. "Madoka! I'm scared!"

"Don't worry." She said, embracing him. "I'll keep you safe."

As she said those words, she noticed a flash of movement in the corner of her eye. It was too late to react however, and she and Tatsuya were sent flying. She clung to him, shielding her little brother from the impact. He now lay on top of her, still sobbing as she saw the humanoid Heartless stalk towards her.

She brandished her Keyblade with one hand while she clung to Tatsuya with the other. She needed to fight it, but she couldn't leave Tatsuya alone. Then the Heartless jerked, and stumbled, before collapsing to the ground. It's body dispersed into wisps of darkness that when they faded reveled _Sayaka?! _And she was wielding a cutlass!

"Sayaka?!" Madoka exclaimed. "W-where did you get that?!"

"No time to talk! We have to go now!" Sayaka shouted.

"Y-yes!" Madoka said. She stood up, carrying Tatsuya, and running towards exit. The fire was growing, and the house was filling with smoke.

The three of them made it out of the building and on to the front lawn.

"Where's your dad?" Sayaka asked.

"He… didn't make it." Madoka said, the full realization of what had happened bearing down on her.

"What do you mean he didn't make it?"

"He was-"

All of a sudden, something struck the ground near by, and an explosion rocked the area. Madoka was lifted off her feet and hurled away, rolling on the ground, while Tatsuya was flung from her grip.

Her vision was clouded, and her ears were ringing. Everything hurt. Eventually, her vision began to clear, and she saw Tatsuya lying on the ground. He was in danger. She had to get him to safety. She-

A red javelin impaled her little brother. He made no sound, not a wince of pain, not seeming to comprehend what had just happened to him.

Madoka could only watch on blankly as her brothers body went limp. Holding the weapon was a gigantic creature, resembling an incredibly emaciated one-armed man, bare chested, with it's lower body clad in a robe. A heart shaped hole was in the middle of it's chest. It floated it the air, cross legged like some sort of monk. Strangest of all was it's skull like head, floating above it's body and split in two. In between the halves was the stylized heart-shaped emblem that other Heartless sometimes bore.

The gigantic heartless lifted Tatsuya' into the air, where he began to fade away. As with her father, a glowing orb emerged from his body, and was shrouded in darkness and transformed into a Heartless. That was bad, wasn't it? The bug disappeared, along with Tatsuya's body.

Suddenly, a blue haired girl rushed over to her, frantically looking back between Madoka and the giant Heartless.

"Madoka! Get up!"

Was that Sayaka? She was here? If she was, then…

"TATSUYA!" Madoka shot up as she fully processed what had happened. Her little brother was gone. She gave a raw scream and leaped towards the gigantic Heartless.

"GIVE HIM BACK! GIVE HIM BACK!" She screamed as she wildly slashed at the Heartless. Tears streaked down her face, stinging as they ran over the cuts on her cheek, but she didn't care. It took _Tatsuya_.

The Heartless, blocked her swings with the javelin and easily batted her away. She crashed back to the ground, and quickly leaped to her feet. She was about to rush it again, when she was instead grabbed from behind.

She turned to see a strange grinning girl dressed in elegant clothing pulling her away.

"LET GO OF ME!_" _Madoka shouted.

"_Komm mit, wenn du leben willst!"_

What the hell, was that _German_?! Whatever, Madoka didn't care, that thing had taken her little brother!

"TATSUYA! GIVE HIM BACK!" She struggled against the grip of the strange girl, trying to get at the giant Heartless, who stood there, blankly watching, while she was dragged away.

"Let her go!" Sayaka ran towards the new girl as well and shoved her away. She stumbled back into the street, and was about to rush forwards again, when a car slammed into her head on.

There was the sound of gunshots and the gigantic heartless reeled back as bursts of light exploded on it's body, sending it crashing back into Madoka's house, shattering the glass windows and tearing out a large chunk of the structure.

Madoka stared Mami Tomoe stepped out of the passengers seat, holding some sort of silver musket. Out of the drivers seat, Kyoko Sakura emerged, wielding a spear. Out of the back seat came Nagisa Momoe. "Over here!" She shouted. "Hurry!"

Madoka looked to her friends, and then back to the Heartless which was rising from where it had been knocked over, the javelin it was wielding now wreathed in flames. It had taken Tatsuya.

"NO!" She screamed again. "GIVE TATSUYA BACK! GIVE PAPA BACK!"

She prepared to rush forwards, only to feel hands grab her. Sayaka, Mami, and Nagisa were holding her back.

"Get her in the car!" Kyoko shouted. "Hurry!" The smaller heartless were gathering again. She rushed towards them, slashing with her spear.

"NO! PAPA! TATSUYA!" Madoka screamed. She tried to fight back, but the three of them overpowered her, and managed to wrestle her into the back seat.

Once she was in, Mami jumped back into the front passenger seat and called back to Kyoko, who ran back and dove into the drivers seat. The Heartless rushed in pursuit, though she quickly righted herself, slammed the door, and floored the pedal. The tires screeched and the car sped away from the burning house while Madoka screamed in horror and grief.

* * *

_If I had to choose a name, I'd call that boss heartless Tapana. It fits, on multiple levels._

_As to the German, I don't speak the language, so the best I can do is google translate._

__Again, thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding!__

_~Dragonexx_


	9. A World of Silence

**Chapter 9**

**A World of Silence**

* * *

Mitakihara was burning. The world was in chaos. Thick clouds of smoke poured into the dark cloudy sky, as buildings crumbled. Siriens wailed while vehicles veered off the streets and crashed. Screams echoed across the world as Heartless descended en masse. Screams of horror. Screams of grief. Screams begging for mercy. Screams for help. Screams that were too often abruptly silenced. Here and there, attempts at defense and counterattack were mounted, though they were woefully unprepared for such an adversary. An adversary that emerged from the shadows, ignoring all defenses and bulwarks, who struck without warning or heed to their own well being. Who came upon them in such overwhelming numbers and so relentlessly that none stood a chance. Disorganized and scattered, one by one in rapid succession, they fell. Above all was the giant Heartless, a silent observer of the pandemonium below.

* * *

Once the initial shock of him being there wore off, questions began to rage in her mind. How was Kyosuke even here? This island was out of phase with the rest of the world. Someone without magical ability shouldn't even be able see it, let alone interact with it.

But that meant that Kyosuke knew of magic in some form. But how? There weren't any Puer Magi as far as she knew. But he knew of the Incubators. Somehow. Was this some new scheme? Some bid for freedom? If it was, Kyubey was in for a world of pain. Hell, perhaps that was how she could occupy her time.

"Now, I know you probably have plenty of questions and-"

Homura gestured, and Kyosuke was suddenly pinned against the wall, the stone flowing upwards in tentacles to bind him in place. In a burst of violet light, her bow formed in her hands, arrows of violet fire aimed directly at his head.

"How did you get here? How do you know about the Incubators?"

"A-all very interesting questions, but the wrong questions. We really are pressed for time at the moment." Kyosuke said, an awkward smile on his face, as if trying and failing to put Homura at ease.

"What do you mean?"

"The Heartless."

"You know about them?!"

"Indeed."

"What are they? Where do they come from? Why are they here?"

"If you'd let me down, I'd be happy to tell you." Kyosuke said, indicating his bonds.

"The rat already tried that line."

"Feel free to keep you weapon trained on me if it helps. It's not like I can pose a threat to you anyways." He said.

Homura paused, and then both of them were transported to the balcony outside the throne room, overlooking the entire island. She kept her bow aimed at him, while a platoon of Lotte formed a circle around them, spears at the ready.

"The Heartless. What are they?"

"That's a very broad question, with a lot of potential answers, of which I doubt I can entirely explain given the short time frame and your state of agitation. However, the answer that will help you most in this situation is that Heartless the darkness that lurks within the hearts of men, manifested and given form to act upon the world.

"Darkness?"

"The negative aspects of a being. Greed, lust, apathy, hatred, bigotry, cruelty, misery. Though I doubt you are unfamiliar with the concept."

"Like Witches and Wraiths..." Homura said, lowering her bow. Were these some new manifestation?

"Precisely. However, Witches are the result of the Heart of a Magical Girl breaking under grief and despair and Wraiths are simple creatures of destruction and chaos. The Heartless are far, far, worse. When a being is utterly consumed by their darkness, they may transform a Heartless, but it doesn't stop there. The Heartless seek to spread darkness as much as they can, and thus act to corrupt the Hearts of others. They will attack people and steal their hearts, infecting them with darkness, thus creating more of themselves. Endlessly. It's not a stretch to assume that near every being in existence could become a Heartless."

The bow dropped to the ground, and vanished, as realization set upon her. These creatures were worse than anything she had faced before, and Madoka was on the front lines of the battle!

"Madoka is in danger!"

"Indeed. Now here's what needs to be done..."

* * *

It was a blessing that the roads they took were mostly clear, meaning Kyoko was free to floor it, putting as much distance as she could between the gigantic Heartless and them.

Sayaka looked over at Madoka. Her hysteria hadn't lasted long, and now she was uncomfortably silent, staring at the floor where Crystal Clarity lay, jostling around as the car went over bumps. She was no longer crying, she just looked... empty. Sayaka took her hand. She honestly wasn't sure what to do or say. She was still barely processing what had happened herself. Instead, she turned to the others.

"Thanks, guys. I thought we were goners there!"

"Well if you want to pay me back, you can start by telling me what the hell is going on?!" Kyoko said, gesturing to the sheer chaos outside. Buildings were burning when they weren't collapsed entirely. Signs were torn over, and powerlines were down, sparking electricity. The whole place looked like a tornado had blown through.

However, there were no people. It was eerily silent.

"Like what? What do you want to know?" Sayaka asked.

"Why don't you start at the beginning." Mami said.

"Well, Madoka says it started when she had this really trippy dream..." Sayaka launched into an explanation as best as she could, going over the dream, the Heartless, the strange figures at the mall, Madoka leaving to get information out of Homura, and the attack on Madoka's house.

"They turn people into more of them?" Kyoko asked.

"Like a zombie apocalypse!" Nagisa exclaimed.

"Now that you mention it..." Mami said uneasily.

As they said these things, it hit Sayaka like a hammer. Her family was probably gone as well, suffering the same fate as Madoka's. Her shoulders slumped. _No!_ She looked over at Madoka, still numb from what she had just seen. She had to be strong. For her sake. Best to think of something else.

"Now I want to know something. Where did you get those weapons?" Sayaka asked, indicating the spear and musket. "How long have you had those?"

"Since about an hour ago." Kyoko said, and then swore as she had to swerve the car to narrowly avoid a collapsed streetlight.

"We just woke up, and these weapons were in our hands. It wasn't long after that when Heartless attacked our apartment. After fighting them off, we got a call from Sayaka and came over. And now here we are." Mami explained. "The same goes for you to, Sayaka, right?"

"Yeah. Well, crap. I thought you guys might have answers." Sayaka said and then something else hit her. "Oh, that reminds me! Homura! Did you get anything from her, Madoka?"

"Not really." Madoka said softly.

"What do you mean?"

"I went to her place. Heartless attacked. I fought them. Then I tried to ask questions. She teleported me back home instead."

"She _teleported_ you?"

"I tried to run back to her, but that was when... when..." Madoka paused, her eyes widening.

"So that's all we know." Sayaka quickly interjected, while squeezing Madoka's hand.

"So what do we do next?" Nagisa asked.

"Yeah." Kyoko said. "Do we have a destination, or am I just driving aimlessly?"

"Were nearing the edge of the city." Mami said. "There should be a gas station not to far away. Let's recuperate there, and figure things out."

Sure enough, a gas station came into view. Kyoko pulled up to the street nearby, and stopped the car. Everyone exited.

* * *

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I didn't get breakfast this morning, so I'm gonna grab whatever I can." Kyoko said, heading towards the attached store.

"What do you mean grab?" Mami said. "And we still need to figure out a plan."

Kyoko snorted. "Food comes first. _Then_ we can talk about other things."

"Yes, I'm also hungry." Nagisa added.

"See there? Looks like your getting outvoted." She turned to Sayaka and Madoka. "What do you think?"

Madoka had sat down at a bench, and was simply staring at the ground. Sayaka sat down next to her. "We'll uh… we'll keep watch outside."

"So, two yays, one nay, and two abstains. Hooray for democracy!"

Mami sighed, but followed Kyoko into the store. The door opened, and a jingle played, but there was nobody inside. The obnoxious music kept playing over the speakers though.

"Hello?" Mami called. There was no answer. Nobody else was here.

Kyoko shrugged, and grabbed a bag of chips, ripped it open, and began eating.

"Hey! You can't just-"

"Consider it 7-11's generous and well-publicized donation to the save-the-world fund." Kyoko said. As she ate, she looked at a wall where television screens were hanging. Those that didn't depict error signals showed empty streets, stadiums, and news rooms. "Not that it seems there's much of a fuckin' world left."

Mami looked at the screens. She was silent for a few moments. "We'll… we'll fix this."

"Huh… how do ya' figure that?" Kyoko asked. She finished the last of the chips, poured the crumbs into her mouth and chucked the bag to the ground, before grabbing a pack of jerky.

"We just… will."

"Oh. Of course! It so simple! How could I have never thought of that? We just _will._"

"We have these powers and weapons now! Don't you think that means something? We can make a difference!"

"Make a difference. Pfft! People say that all the time. Think they've found the solution to the worlds problems. Seen it go down myself. 'We're going to change the world!'." She mocked after swallowing a large mouthful of jerkey. "You go all out and yet the worlds still a shithole in the end. Wars, slavery, corruption, abuse. Fat lot of 'difference'. Nobody really gives a shit. Honestly, people like that should just give up the delusion and leave normal people alone. If God's really there, then He's probably laughin' at this whole shitshow. Trying to help people is a fool's game."

Mami huffed. Though Kyoko didn't look back, she could guess she was crossing her arms. "And yet you're still here."

"Hey, beats dying to a bunch of stupid-lookin' demon zombies. Y'know what I think we should do? Grab all the food and supplies we can fit in the car, get the hell out of the city, maybe find somewhere in the countryside we can hole up in. Go all doomsday survivor. Probably still die horribly in the end but we'll definitely live longer than running off on some misguided suicide mission." Kyoko tossed the empty bag of jerky to the ground, and opened a pack of gummi worms. "Save the world. What garbage."

"I meant with Nagisa and me."

Kyoko barely held herself back from snarling. Of _course_ she had to go there. "Hey, nobody made you go all charity case us. I certainly didn't ask. Yet if some naive rich kid's gonna offer me food and a warm bed, hell, why not take advantage of a bleeding heart."

She could almost hear Mami stiffening behind her. "You don't mean that."

"Believe whatever you wanna believe." She shrugged as she tossed the bag of gummi worms on the ground, and opened the refrigerator, grabbing herself a soda.

She heard footsteps behind her. Mami had walked off. Whatever. She downed the soda and opened a taiyaki.

After finishing the taiyaki (and two others) she chucked the wrappers and headed back outside briefly. Nagisa was currently gorging herself on some cheese cubes, while Mami had found some first aid supplies and was patching up the cuts on Madoka's cheek, as well as her other injuries. Madoka for her part barely reacted. She was simply staring down at the ground, summoning and dismissing her Keyblade over and over.

As Kyoko approached, Nagisa glared at her, and sidled closer to Mami. She had probably overheard their conversation.

Kyoko sighed and headed back into the store. Maybe she had gone overboard. Inside she grabbed a few wrapped sandwiches and headed back outside, walking over towards Madoka. She held out one of them to her.

"Here."

"I'm not really hungry..." Madoka said.

"You're going to have to eat something." Sayaka said.

"I'm not really hungry..." Madoka repeated.

"You need to keep your strength up." Sayaka said.

"I'm not..."

"Please, _for me_."

Madoka said nothing. Eventually however, she dismissed the Keyblade and took the sandwich, eating almost robotically

Kyoko handed another sandwich to Mami and Sayaka, before heading back into the store herself.

"Where are you going again?"

"Takin' a piss. Be back in a few."

* * *

"So..." Sayaka asked. "What _are_ we gonna do?"

"Did you overhear our conversation?" Mami asked.

"Parts of it." Sayaka said. "What a jerk!'

"She's just stressed out." Mami said.

"That still doesn't excuse it." Sayaka stood up. "I'm going to tell her-"

"Please don't." Mami said. "She's stressed. We all are."

"You're just going to accept that she talked to you like that? You're just going to let that slide?!"

"Everything's falling apart!" Mami exclaimed. "I don't want us to fall apart as well!"

Sayaka sighed. "Fine, but where do we go from here then?"

"What about Maleficent?" Nagisa said. "She and that cat guy appear to be behind this. We should seek them out."

"Do we even know where to look?" Sayaka asked.

There was a sudden sound like gusting wind. Everyone jumped, before they realized that Madoka had finished the sandwich was back to summoning and dismissing her Keyblade again.

"Let's just wait until Kyoko gets back, and then we can figure things out." Mami said.

* * *

Kyoko looked at herself in the dirty, cracked, mirror. What the _hell_ had her life turned into? Family dead. Living on the streets. Then moving in with her old friend Mami. And then a fucking demon apocalypse. And all at the ripe old age of 17.

Kyoko liked to think of herself as a survivor. When her dad went apeshit, she got out of there as quick as possible. She had survived on the streets, dodging pimps and thugs, and quickly figured out how the world worked while she broke into the best hotels and swiped food from the best stores without getting caught.

Now however, the world was being consumed by monsters brought in by a talking cat and a demon woman. There were giant monk demons that shot fire. And she had a goddamn spear. What the fuck?

Kyoko held out her hand, and the spear appeared. She examined the weapon. Despite having only appeared to her about an hour ago, it felt natural in her grip. She took a fighting stance, and found that it came easy to her, like she had done it a million times before. What, was this an "I know kung-fu" moment? Were spear techniques just downloaded into her brain? Was it the same for the others?

"Save the world, huh?"

Then, she noticed something, crawling out from beneath one of the stalls. It looked like a black furred weasel, with a stupid looking face, and long ears with odd rings floating around them. It had beady yellow eyes, but what drew Kyoko's attention the most was the heart-shaped emblem on it's back.

"Heartless!" Kyoko immediately thrust the spear, impaling and destroying it, only to see more began to appear. She couldn't waste time here!

Kyoko leaped over them and kicked open the door, rushing outside to where the others were sitting.

"What's going on?!" Sayaka asked.

"Heartless!" She shouted.

As she said those words, more of the monsters appeared. Everyone leaped to the feet, weapons at the ready, before they realized what form the Heartless had taken this time. There were creatures shaped like red bells, one that was a bag holding burning coals, but worst of all was a round creature with fire erupting from the tip of it's body. In a gas station.

The Heartless wasted no time, releasing fire everywhere.

"What do we do?" Nagisa asked.

"RUN!" Mami shouted.

The girls dashed as fast as they could away from the gas station, knowing full well what could happen next. They weren't disappointed. There was a deafening burst of noise followed by a wave of heat.

* * *

Once her ears stopped ringing, Sayaka heard Mami's voice. "Everyone okay?"

"Yep, everything still attached." Sayaka said, pushing herself to her feet.

"Yes." Madoka said.

"I'm fine." Kyoko said.

They heard nothing from Nagisa.

"Nagisa!" Sayaka whipped around, only to breath a sigh of relief to see her sitting not to far from them. She was staring into the fire.

"Are you okay?"

"There is someone in there!" Nagisa said, pointing to the massive conflagration.

"What?!" Sure enough, Sayaka could see the silhouette of somebody moving through the blaze, steadily walking towards them. At first, she though that they had been wrong and there actually _had_ been somebody in the station, though they were quickly proven wrong when the she saw that the figure was way taller than any human being.

Out of the fire emerged a towering heartless clad head to toe in armor. Emblazoned on each of the shoulder pauldrons was the heart-shaped insignia. In place of hands, it had two swords that looked to be made of molten lava, striking sparks as they were dragged against the ground. As it approached them, more armored heartless appeared, these wielding oversized push daggers, while the fiery Heartless emerged from the blaze behind them.

"Get ready to fight!" Sayaka said, as the Heartless stalked towards them, burning footprints in it's wake melting the asphalt.

* * *

___Again, thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding!___

_~Dragonexx_


	10. Shadow Storm

**Chapter 10**

**Shadow Storm**

* * *

The house was in ruins. A huge chunk of the front had been torn out, and fires raged everywhere. The bushes on the lawn had almost burnt to ashes, and there was a large crater, as if some sort of explosion had gone off.

Homura collapsed to her knees. Was she too late. Was Madoka gone?

"Was this where you sent her?" Kyosuke asked.

"Y-yes." Homura leaned over and punched the ground. It was weak, no more than a tap. She didn't have the strength. She had _failed. Again!_

Maybe she could go back in time. After Madoka' wish she hadn't had her time powers. Then, later she had them, but it was in truth, a dream. After fixing the world, she hadn't tried to use them, but now it looked like there was no option.

"I don't think she's dead, if that's what you're wondering. But that-"

"How do you know?!" Homura rounded on Kyosuke, grabbing his shoulders.

"I don't speak German, but..." He indicated to something lying in the road. One of her Clara dolls. She looked like a mess, and had tire tracks over the front of her.

"Yakimochi!" Homura rushed over to her. With a snap of her fingers, her injuries were healed, and she sat up, dusting off her dress. "What happened here?!'

"_Oh, Herrin. Ich habe versucht, Ihre süße Madoka zu retten, nur um von den grausamsten und unerwartetsten Komplikationen gebremst zu werden. Oh! Es war schrecklich, als es auf mich niederprallte und-"_

"Get to the point!"

"_Madokas Freunde ließen mich mit einem Auto hinüberfahren, als ich versuchte, sie zu retten, und nahmen dann höchstwahrscheinlich mit ihr ab. Ich weiß nicht wo sie jetzt sind._"

"So she's alive." Homura breathed a sigh of relief though it was instantly replaced with more worry. She needed to find where she had run off to, and quick.

* * *

Even from a distance, Sayaka could feel the heat that the Heartless was giving off. The fire at the gas station seemed to pale in comparison to it, the air shimmering around it's blades. As it stepped over a piece of metal debris, the metal near instantly began to glow red.

"What do we do?" Nagisa asked.

"We kick it's ass!" Kyoko said. She formed her spear, and charged towards the Heartless, joined by Madoka.

"Wait!" Mami said.

"Do we even have plan?!" Sayaka asked.

"Help them! Keep those smaller Heartless off them. Nagisa, you and me take out the flying ones!"

"Got it!" Sayaka held out her hand, and her cutlass appeared. The weapon just felt right in her hands, and the proper stances came naturally, like she was a veteran warrior.

Sayaka rushed forwards, watching as Madoka and Kyoko attacked the large Heartless. Unlike the others, it seemed to have some combat skill, as it blocked each of their swings and pushed forwards, sending them stumbling back.

As they did, the smaller knights attempted to swing at Madoka. Sayaka leaped forwards slashed at it, cutting it in half, causing it to disperse into wisps of darkness, before slicing down two more.

"Watch your backs!" She said.

She then noticed out of the corner of her eyes something glowing, and threw herself to the ground as a one of the bell Heartless shot a fireball at her.

She say Kyoko leap over her, attempting to hit it with he spear, at the same time that Nagisa fired a stream of bubbles. The Heartless was destroyed, and Kyoko was blown back.

"What the hell are you doing?!" She shouted.

"You jumped in front of my shot!" Nagisa shouted back.

A sudden surge of heat alerted Sayaka to the movements of the large Heartless, and along with Madoka, she blocked the downward swing of it's blades. Up close, the heat was scorching.

The monster was strong, pinning both of them down, unable to do anything more than futilely attempt to push back against it's weight. A weight that was getting harder and harder to even keep up. The molten blade drew closer and closer, and the heat became sweltering. Sayaka started to avert her gaze as she felt part of her face begin to sear.

There was sound of a gunshot and a flash of light against the Heartless' helm, Mami's shot knocking it off balance. When the weight was lifted, a pink aura surrounded Madoka and she shot up like a rocket, striking the creature again in the head, sending it sprawling onto it's back. Afterwards, she came crashing down, though the Heartless rolled to the side, and flipped up, it's trail shooting out fire, which Madoka narrowly dodged.

As Madoka reengaged with the large Heartless, Sayaka turned to block the swing of one of the knights, and countered with a swing, destroying it, only to have to duck as something only barely missed colliding with her.

Somehow, Kyoko's spear had extended, becoming a whip like weapon that destroyed an entire row of knights.

"You almost hit me!" Sayaka said.

"Well don't get in my way then!" Kyoko shouted. Her weapon contracted into it's spear form, and she charged towards the giant Heartless.

Sayaka wanted to rebutt, but there were bad guys here right now. She needed to focus on that. Instead, she growled, but followed Kyoko.

The bladed Heartless was keeping up with all of Madoka's swings, and countering with some of it's own. When Madoka swung at it's legs, it cartwheeled away, pushing of it's own swords. It then swung, unleashing a wave of fire, that the three of them had to dodge out of the way of.

The heat was unbelievable, and Sayaka watched as it hit a building across the street, lighting it on fire. The fire spread quickly, and from that blaze emerged more fiery Heartless, forcing Mami and Nagisa to focus their projectiles in that direction.

More knight heartless came charging in, attempting to surround the three of them, only for Madoka to charge forwards again. She cut a path through the knights, moving past them, towards the giant Heartless, leaving Sayaka and Kyoko behind to fight the rest. Kyoko leaped over the crowd of knights to join Madoka in her attack on the leader, leaving Sayaka surrounded.

Great.

Sayaka barely managed to avoid getting impaled as multiple Heartless rushed her at once. Ducking beneath their thrusts, she swung upwards, cutting down two of them, and then turning to strike at two more.

Off to the side, she saw Madoka and Kyoko attempting to land strikes on the leader. However the creature blocked or dodged each attack, countering with fiery strikes that forced them back on the defensive. Kyoko's spear thrusts were turned aside, even able to avoid it's whip form. When Madoka attempted to attack with her Keyblade, she was likewise countered with a wave of flame that nearly engulfed her. Madoka quickly leaped out of the blaze, though Sayaka could see a few scorch marks on her.

A flash to her side caused her to refocus on her own battle, but too late. The knight cut into her leg, causing Sayaka to stumble, and then suffer a cut on her arm, and then across her side. She swung back, destroying the last of the knights, and then turned back to Madoka to see that the giant Heartless was missing.

"Where?"

"Look out!" Kyoko shouted.

A shadow above was her only warning as the Heartless came diving down towards her. Sayaka attempted to leap out of the way, but it was too late. The Heartless hit the ground and everything became roaring flames.

* * *

"_SAYAKA!_"

Madoka watched as Sayaka screamed in pain when the fiery explosion engulfed her. She was sent flying back, trailing smoke and fire before landing hard on the asphalt, unmoving.

_No! No! Not you too! _Madoka froze, everything else fading from her awareness. Sayaka had been her friend since she was old enough to remember. Always there for her. Even when she was in America, they'd still regularly kept in contact. And she was going to lose her too? Her legs trembled and she collapsed to her knees, the Keyblade falling from her hand.

Kyoko turned to Madoka, worry on her face, though it quickly changed to a scowl.

"Don't just lie there!" Kyoko shouted, grabbing Madoka by the shoulders and shaking her.

"W-what do we do?" Madoka said.

Mami was already rushing towards the downed Sayaka, while Nagisa shot more bubbles at the Heartless, knocking it off it's feet.

"We need to get out of here!" Mami said. "Kyoko, start the car! Nagisa, keep it distracted! Madoka! Help me get Sayaka into the car."

Kyoko looked back at the Heartless, and then at Mami. She snarled, but nodded, running towards the car.

Madoka managed to jolt herself into action, and with Mami's help, lifted the blackened Sayaka, carrying her to the backseat of the car. As she looked back, she saw more Heartless begin to appear. Nagisa's bubble shots could only do so much.

"We're ready!" Mami said.

"Alright!" Nagisa let off one last blast and then ran towards the car, diving in and shutting the door behind her as Kyoko floored it. Once again, the tires screeched and the girls took off.

"She's still breathing!" Nagisa shouted. "Where are those first aid supplies?"

"They were back at the station when it blew up! I don't have any more!" Mami answered.

"So what do we do then?"

"We could find a hospital!" Mami suggested.

"A hospital?!" Nagisa froze. "Y-yes, that's probably for the best."

"We haven't seen anyone so far! What the hell makes you think that there's going to be doctors there?" Kyoko interjected.

"Maybe not, but their will still be medical supplies!"

"For this?! Do you even _know_ how to treat burns like that?"

Like it or not, Kyoko was right. Sayaka was in terrible shape, those had to be, what, second or third degree burns? Just looking at her blackened body made Madoka feel ill. If they weren't treated, her odds of surviving looked low. And even if they did somehow manage to stabilize her, she'd be in no shape to travel for a long while. They'd have to hole up in that building, defending her, putting themselves at risk and…

_Oh god! What the hell is wrong with me?! Was I really about to justify leaving Sayaka behind?! _Madoka recoiled in horror. What was happening? To this world? To her? Sayaka was her best friend, and she was… glowing?

"Somethings happening!" Nagisa said.

The car suddenly swerved, and Mami shouted. "Kyoko, eyes on the road!"

"Fine!"

The others watched in awe as the Sayaka's injuries were enveloped in blue light, and began to heal. First the burns faded as new skin grew over them...

* * *

"Sayaka! You're okay!" Madoka embraced her.

"I'm… okay?" She was confused. How were they in the car now? They were fighting that fire sword thing, and then… "W-what happened?"

"You took a hit! Real bad!" Madoka said.

"How bad?" Sayaka said, still trying to comprehend what was going on. First of all, Madoka was smiling, and that was good. Secondly, why were her clothes damaged? Then the memory came back. The fire. The pain.

"Third-degree burns bad." Kyoko said. "You were on fire. And not the good kind of on fire."

"What?! But then, how am I still here?!"

"You… healed." Nagisa said, relieved.

"Healed, what do you mean healed?"

"Look!"

Madoka pointed to Sayaka's leg. The cut there was healing, radiating a blue light as it did so. It didn't even hurt. She looked towards the cut on side, and her arm, and they were doing the same as well.

"Whoa." Sayaka looked herself over. There wasn't a single trace of her injuries. In fact, in fact, she felt perfectly fine. The only trace of the battle were her damaged and bloodstained clothes. "_Cool."_

"Well it seems we don't have to go to a hospital then." Mami said. Nagisa breathed a sigh of relief.

"So then where _are_ we going? We never decided that." Kyoko said.

"Well..."

"Hey, guys? I think I see some cars out there, following us." Nagisa was turned around, looking out the back window.

"Cars?" Kyoko looked in the mirror. "Yeah, I see them too."

"More survivors?" Mami wondered.

Madoka and Sayaka turned to look as the vehicles. They weren't like any car she had seen. They were oddly colored, and the grill in the front of the vehicle looked more like the teeth of some dangerous animal. What they were was horrifyingly confirmed when she noticed the heart-shaped hood ornament.

"Heartless!" Madoka shouted.

"As cars?!" Mami exclaimed in disbelief.

"Floor it!" Sayaka shouted.

"Are you kidding me?!" Kyoko sped up, though the Heartless cars sped up as well.

"Were not losing them!" Sayaka said.

"Open the windows!" Mami said.

"What?!" Kyoko asked. "Why- oh!"

She nodded as Mami picked up her musket. With the window lowered, Mami leaned out, and opened fire. A single shot bullseyed one of the Heartless, destroying it. "Nagisa, help keep them off us!"

"As you wish!" As the back window was opened, Nagisa inhaled, and blew out of the trumpet, and a flood of bubbles flowed forth. Upon impacting with the car Heartless, they exploded, obscuring their view briefly, though when it cleared up, the Heartless were nowhere to be seen.

"Awesome!" Sayaka said.

"Not awesome!" Kyoko said, looking to the side. "I see more incoming."

True to her words, more Heartless had joined the pursuit, turning off of side streets. Now, alongside the cars were Heartless resembling motorbikes. Rubble in the road didn't appear to mean much to them, as they simply jumped over it.

Nagisa released another stream of bubbles, though the motorbikes swerved, dodging the attacks, only to be shot and destroyed by Mami.

Sayaka watched as instead of reloading the musket after firing it, she simply discarded it, and then somehow conjured a new one to shoot.

"Ah crap." Kyoko said.

"What?" Mami asked.

"Yes, it would appear we are managing to hold them at bay." Nagisa offered.

"Yeah, those ones! Not these!" Sayaka pointed forwards, to where a group of rocky looking Heartless were blocking part of an intersection. As she watched, a massive pile of sand rose up to form into some sort of worm like monstrosity.

"Everybody hold on!" Kyoko shouted. She gripped the wheel and swerved hard, throwing everybody about as she turned onto the freeway. Mami was hurled back inside the car, landing on Kyoko's lap before being pushed back to her seat.

"Ouch! Where did you get your license?!" Mami demanded.

"License? Why would I need one of those things?" Kyoko asked.

"Then where did you even learn how to drive?"

"GTA." Kyoko said, as she swerved the car violently, throwing everybody off balance.

"_Grand Theft Auto? _Are you _serious_?!"

"Well if you didn't like that, then ya' ain't going to like how I found us this car. Although it is thematically appropriate..."

"WHAT?!"

"Hey, in my defense, the guy was definitely already a Heartless! He wasn't gonna be using it! Consider it Toyota's generous and well-publicized-"

"Don't even go there!"

"Fine, fine, but we really do need -_fuck!_" Kyoko swore as she narrowly dodged a pile of debris on the road, sending everybody tumbling again.

"Let me drive! It seems I'm the only one here with an _actual driver's license_!"

"Well, that would be fine and dandy, _except were currently fleeing for our lives and you have guns! _What am I supposed to do, chuck a spear?"

"Can you guys please settle this later!" Sayaka shouted, and then grunted in pain as a large bump bounced her head into the ceiling.

"Yes, their numbers are only increasing!" Nagisa warned.

"Don't these guys ever let up?!" Sayaka moaned.

"Fine!" Mami said, leaning back outside the window.

Despite their best efforts however, the horde just kept coming. Bullets and explosions were poured into the crowd, but it seemed that whenever a Heartless was felled, another would take its place in short order.

"There's just no end to them!" Nagisa said. "What do we do?"

Mami frantically looked around, and then locked on something ahead of them. "The bridge!"

"What?" Nagisa looked at the bridge as they approached it.

"Nagisa! Bring it down! When were part of the way across, hit the ground with everything you've got!"

"What?! Are you sure?!" Nagisa exclaimed in disbelief.

"Do it!"

"O-okay!"

True to Mami's orders, as the girl's car passed across the bridge, she took in a very deep breath, and then blew on the horn as hard as she could. An entire storm of bubbles emerged from the instrument, aimed directly at the ground. A deafening explosion threw up a massive cloud of dust and mist.

"Whoa..." Sayaka said as she saw the cloud clear. Part of the bridge had indeed been destroyed, rendering it uncrossable. The Heartless horde attempted to brake. Some were successful, though those near the front were less fortunate, and careened straight off the bridge into the river below.

"That was amazing!" Sayaka said.

"Thanks..." Nagisa slumped back into her seat, breathing heavily. "It would seem the coast is clear, for now."

They drove along in silence for a while before Kyoko spoke up.

"So then, do we have a destination or am I just running down the fuel tank?"

"We should… LOOK OUT!" Mami shouted. Ahead of them the road warped and twisted, and a massive wall of concrete rose up in front of them.

Kyoko slammed on the brakes, and the car skidded, throwing everybody forwards. They barely managed to avoid colliding with the wall.

"What the hell was that?" Sayaka said.

"The roads blocked!"

Everyone exited the car.

"What?" Sayaka said as she looked at the new barrier.

"How are we going to get around this?" Madoka asked.

"_You won't._" Said a voice from up above. Sayaka felt a chill come over her. She recognized that voice. _Homura._ She was standing atop the wall looking down at them. And what the hell was she _wearing_? Some sort of backless, showgirl style skimpy dress that appeared to me made of feathers. She carried a black bow had _fucking wings._ Her eyes glowed with unnatural purple light while fires of the same color danced around her. "This ends here and now!"

Everything Sayaka felt was now confirmed.

"_You, Homura Akemi, are a demon!"_

Sayaka brandished her sword at Homura. "Who the hell are you to tell us that?! What gives you the right?!"

Homura's eyes narrowed. A violet string appeared on the bow as lightning flashed in the sky above. "You won't be going anywhere without my say so! This is _my world._"

* * *

_And so we are nearing the close of the Mitakihara Arc, which should wrap up in about the next chapter. I have to say it went on longer than I expected. Chapters 7-9 were originally intended to be one chapter (as were chapters 2-3 and chapters 5-6), but it kept getting so long that I ended up breaking it up as I wrote._

_Also, expect the first appearance of a Final Fantasy character next chapter. You'll probably never guess who! (Though I have left hints.)_

___Again, thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding!___

_~Dragonexx_


	11. Stormbreak

**Chapter 11**

**Stormbreak**

* * *

Homura glared at Sayaka. Always the defiant one, the wannabe hero, ignorant and bullheaded, who dragged everyone else around her down, selfishly putting them at risk. Thinking herself the invincible savior, but at always the weakest when faced with cold reality.

She had her cutlass back now, brandishing it at Homura, and she had to assume that the others had their weapons as well. They were ultimately irrelevant, but her heart sank at the sight of Madoka. Here she was, bruised, burned, bleeding, and afraid.

Homura then stiffened as she saw Madoka follow Sayaka's lead and drop into a fighting stance.

_After everything I've done for her?! This is how she thanks me?! I- No… No… She's right to hate me. And she's afraid, hurt, she doesn't know what's happening. Don't worry Madoka, I'll fix this._

It was clear the current setup hadn't worked. Instead, she'd bring Madoka to the castle. Turn that place into a fucking stronghold. They'd start over. Madoka would forget all this horror, and live with her in luxury. She could be a princess. A queen. Her queen.

She didn't like it. She hated it. She hated herself for wanting it. Madoka deserved better than her. But there didn't appear to be any other choice.

Homura gestured, and the world warped around Madoka, prepared to take her to the island. Instead, Madoka's eyes glowed. It was brief, but it was enough. For in that moment, Homura saw the Goddess. A tall beautiful woman in a white and pink dress, her angelic wings spread wide. Her expression was neutral, dispassionate, but with a hint of sorrow. Homura was horrified all the same.

"No! Stay away from her!" Homura cried. She raised her bow, arrows of violet fire forming. The Goddess did the same, an arrow of pink fire readied. "You won't hurt her any more! I've made sure of that! She's safe! She's free!"

Homura fired at the same time as the Goddess, and their arrows collided. From the clash came a roar of noise and pain. Homura felt herself be lifted off her feet, and hurled about as if in a storm.

When the light faded, Homura found herself lying on the ground. The wall she had created had crumbled, nearby windows had shattered. The others lay in the area as well, groaning. She felt sore, and had a headache, but she pushed through it. She couldn't stop here. She turned to Madoka who lay against the car, attempting to rise to her feet as well.

She held out her hand, intending to try again, only to be shocked when nothing happened.

"What?! My powers?"

A voice sounded in her head. _{It's the Keyblade! It's interfering with your influence over this World! The Goddess is still trying to reassert herself!}_

Was that Kyosuke? She responded telepathically. {_What should I do?}_

_{You need to-}_

The communication went silent suddenly, and the area became cold. A shadow passed over them.

Homura looked up to see what she initially thought was a Wraith, only to quickly realize that it was a Heartless when she recognized the symbol.

The Wraith-Heartless lifted a burning javelin, and prepared to hurl the explosive projectile downward, only for something to hit it head on.

Madoka had thrown her Keyblade, impacting the javelin as it was about to be thrown, causing it to explode and knocking the Heartless into a building.

Homura watched as the Keyblade reappeared in Madoka's hand, and she leaped towards the enemy, a pink aura surrounding her.

* * *

She wasn't going to run this time. It would pay for what it had done to her family. Even if they were gone forever, they'd at least be avenged.

As the Heartless extricated itself from the building, Madoka leaped towards it, and slashed Crystal Clarity across it's chest. A wound was scored, though like the fiery heartless from before, it didn't go down it one hit.

Instead, as Madoka kicked off of it, she saw a large disembodied hand began floating towards her.

She held her Keyblade out to guard against the attack as the hand attempted to grab her, only for it to be engulfed in a violet explosion.

As she landed, she saw Homura look to confirm her safety, before continuing her volley of arrows. Mami and Nagisa joined in on the assault.

The blasts kicked up a large cloud of multicolored smoke, briefly obscuring the Heartless. After a few tense seconds, a barrage of razor sharp swords emerged from the cloud. Madoka rolled out of the way, narrowly avoiding decapitation as one of them came uncomfortably close to her neck.

After the swords, she saw a flash of light, and instinctively leaped away again, as a fireball exploded. Beneath her, Sayaka rushed forwards. As the cloud cleared, she leaped up and struck a blow against the Heartless' arm, just as it was about to hurl it's javelin again. The shot went wild, flying into a nearby storefront and exploding.

Kyoko followed Sayaka's example, extending her spear, and slashing at its disembodied hand. As it reeled away, she returned the spear to its normal state, and then hurled it, striking the hand in the palm and pinning it to a wall.

"Hit it!" Mami shouted.

Homura, Mami, and Nagisa opened fire on the arm, a barrage of arrows, bullets, and bubbles that utterly destroyed their target.

The Heartless attempted to back away, flying up into the air.

"No! No escape!" Homura shouted. With a thrust of her wings, Homura took off. She was faster than the Heartless was, and got above it. From there, she rained down arrows, bursts of violet fire cutting it off, and forcing it back to the ground.

As it turned and attempted to retaliate with fireballs, Madoka leaped up and struck it in the back, releasing a burst of pink colored energy as she did so. The strike drew a jagged blue glowing wound across the monster and it went spiraling to the ground with a large crash.

From there, it attempted to rise, only to be impaled upon Kyoko's spear, while Sayaka charged at it, slashing wildly.

Both were forced to fall back when the Heartless released a burst of flame. It righted itself and swung the flaming javelin. Both narrowly avoided the series of thrusts.

When the moved out of melee range, the Heartless immediately turned towards Madoka and hurled a fireball.

Before it could approach her, a burst of purple fire intercepted it. Homura landed in front of Madoka, and began opening fire on the Heartless.

"Madoka, stay back!" Homura shouted.

"What?! No!" Madoka said. She leaped over the scowling Homura, and struck the Heartless in the side of the head, knocking it back and drawing another glowing blue wound.

The creature attempted to fall back again, though Madoka wasn't having any of that. The energetic pink aura surrounded her again, and she leaped off the ground. As she did so, the Heartless materialized it's javelin again and hurled it. Madoka twisted in the air, leaping off the weapon and straight up towards the Heartless.

At the apex of her jump, she channeled the aura into the Keyblade, and came crashing down on the Heartless. A massive blue glowing wound was torn across it's chest, nearly splitting it in half. Madoka grabbed onto the robe of the Heartless and used it to hurl herself even higher into the air while the The Heartless jerked and writhed as it fell back to the ground.

From her second jump, Madoka came crashing down again like a pink meteor, striking the beast head on, slamming it into the ground, and releasing a massive explosion of pink energy.

As the aura faded, Madoka leaped off, bouncing back as the Heartless slumped on the ground. The creature's body began breaking up, parts of it sloughing off and dispersing into wisps of darkness. Finally, the main body exploded in a burst of darkness, and from that cloud emerged a gigantic glowing heart-shaped crystalline object, that rose into the air and faded away.

"I-is it dead?" Nagisa asked.

"I think so." Madoka answered.

"Then this is concluded." Homura said. She turned to the others, her eyes still with those severe bags and hint of sadness.

"Alright, then." Sayaka said. "Howsabout you tell us what's going on then."

This didn't seem to go over well with Homura. She scowled, tilting her head. "And why? It won't matter in the end."

"Why? You owe me that much!"

"Owe you? _Owe you?!_" Homura's eyes blazed. "After everything you've done, you have the _nerve_ to think I owe you? _You?!"_

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sayaka asked.

"Sayaka the simpleton. Sayaka the lovestruck. Sayaka the judgmental. Sayaka the arrogant. Sayaka the self righteous. Sayaka the insecure. Sayaka the stubborn. The narrow-minded petulant fool who's selfish crusade only harms those she thinks she's protecting. Who despite all this, is a weakling with a heart of glass, easily breaking, the shards tearing into those closest to her. Why should I owe you _anything?_"

Sayaka backed away, shock, confusion, and outrage on her face. Above, lightning flashed in the sky constantly. Bolts began striking, first buildings, then the ground.

"Homura?" Mami stepped forwards. "Perhaps if we all calmed down."

"Calm down? That's rich from you!" Homura said. "Mami, the girl with a will as hard as diamond, and as brittle as diamond. A girl so lonely, that's she's willing to put others in harms way and set them down a path to their own doom just to escape the emptiness. Who can't handle the truth about the world, and breaks, like all the others."

"What the hell is this all about?" Sayaka demanded. "And what are you talking about."

"I apologize, Madoka. Placing you with them was clearly a mistake on my part. I should have gone with my original plan. Don't worry. I'll fix what's gone wrong with you and shall strive to do better in the future."

_Be wary. She is unstable. Don't trust her._

"W-what?" Madoka asked. Was that the not-voice from her dream?

_**I agree. It is a shame. Poor girl.**  
_

And the other voice!

"Fix her?! What the hell?! Explain yourself!" Sayaka brandished her sword. The others readied their weapons as well.

"Irrelevant." Homura said. The world around them began to distort. "The rest of you are irrelevant. Madoka is coming with me."

"I'm not going anywhere with you." Madoka said. She pointed Crystal Clarity at Homura, who's eyes widened. The distortions receded. She almost looked on the brink of tears. Madoka began to think that perhaps Homura could be talked down. Her expression hardened however, and her wings spread out. An aura of violet flame engulfed her.

"_No!_ _No! No! No! No!"_ The world around her twisted and distorted. From those distortions came strange and otherworldly creatures. Dolls dressed in funerary attire. Strange wind up soldiers. Animate teeth. Unnatural looking birds. The ground cracked, and red spider-lilies sprouted up. "_No! No! No!"_

_You won't be able to hold her for long!_

**_I concur. I can help you again child, but for this, you must provide me with a direct means of entry!_**

"What?"

_Yes! Hold your Keyblade to the sky! Focus on the storm above!_

* * *

Homura watched as Madoka lifted the Keyblade into the air. The tip of it glowed and then lightning struck down from the clouds above, directly into Madoka's Keyblade. The electricity expanded outwards, weaving through the air to form some sort of crackling magic circle.

Then the most unexpected thing happened. A massive lightning bolt struck the ground behind Madoka, and didn't relent, forming into some sort of pillar of energy connecting the ground and the sky.

Then from within the pillar a _massive hand_ emerged. It went straight for Madoka, grabbing her and the others.

The pillar faded, revealing their abductor. A gigantic old man with an incredibly long beard, wearing a flowing robe. Electricity crackled all over him. The being glowed with a radiant light as he lifted a staff into the air.

Lighting erupted from the tip of the staff and washed over the entire area. Buildings were blasted apart, cars exploded, power lines went haywire, and her familiars were scoured from the world.

Homura held up her hands, and a purple barrier formed, intercepting the bolts aimed against herself.

The being began to float into the air.

"**No! Give her back! You won't hurt her!**" Homura's voice resonated as she spread her wings and took off towards the giant man.

The man responded by calmly lifting his staff into the air. Lightning struck it repeatedly, causing it to absorb the shocks until it was completely limned in voltage.

He then raised the staff, and hurled it. Homura, who reacted too slowly, found her world engulfed in blinding light and searing pain.

* * *

The Devil stood before the Goddess.

"What have you done!" The Devil raged. "What have you done to her!"

The Goddess said nothing. She merely looked upon the Devil with sadness. Her eyes were filling with tears. Slowly, she turned away, and began to leave.

"Don't you dare ignore me! Answer my question! What have you done with her!" Sadly, the Devil did not receive an answer.

She hurled herself after the Goddess, only for her to vanish. The Devil fell.

* * *

"_Why would I ever want to play with you, freak?"_

"_Yeah, haha! Freak! No one wants a loser like you! Get lost, freak!"_

"_Yeah, her I bet her mom's a crack-whore."_

"_Stop! Please!"_

"_Crack baby! Crack baby! You're dad probably didn't want you! Small wonder!"_

"_You don't know that!"_

"_Nobody wants you, crack baby! Get lost!"_

"_Crack baby! Crack baby!"_

"_STOP!"_

_Impact. Pain. Falling. Tears. Blurry vision. Her glasses were broken. Sobs._

"_What's going on here?!"_

"_Homura was being mean!"_

"_She hit me!"_

"_She was pulling on my hair! I had to make her stop!"_

"_No! That's not true!"_

"_Don't lie to me!"_

"_Yeah! Liar!"_

"_What can you expect from someone like her though?"_

_She began to feel weak. Her chest was hurting. The tears were coming all the faster._

"_It's clear you need to be disciplined! Come with me!"_

_Homura ran._

* * *

Everything hurt. Her body had been burned black and skeletal, though it still moved. Slowly, organs began to reform, followed by veins, muscle, and then flesh and braided hair. Finally, a set of clothes formed. A school uniform, followed by a set of glasses.

Akemi Homura stood up.

"Madoka? Madoka?"

Where was she? What had happened? She looked around at the glowing crater she had been lying in, and up at the dark clouds, finally after so long, releasing rain. When it landed, it steamed from the heat. She remembered the giant. Madoka was gone. She couldn't find her. He must had taken her.

"MADOKA!" Akemi Homura sobbed. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Boy did you ever screw this one up. It was obvious it would happen though."

Akemi Homura turned to see who had spoken and gasped. She looked very similar to herself. However, she was wearing a lacy black dress. She had long black hair with red spider-lilies embedded it it, and bare feet. Strange red spiderweb markings descended from her eyes, making Akemi Homura think of tears. Strangest of all however, were her arms, which were purely skeletal.

Akemi Homura smiled, and collapsed to her knees, breathing a sigh of relief, even laughing a bit.

"What's so funny?"

"This isn't real! This isn't real! This is just another nightmare! Madoka's fine! She's safe!"

A solid fist struck Akemi Homura in the cheek, and she was sent sprawling to the ground. Homulilly straddled her, her skeletal hands around her throat.

"Did that feel like a dream to you?! Does _this_?!"

"What?!"

"Madoka is gone! And it's your fault! Because you were too weak and cowardly to do what needed be done to keep her safe. And now it's your fault she's gone!"

"No! She was happy!" Akemi Homura voice was merely a rasp, struggling to speak through Homulilly's grip. She tried to pull her off, but the grip was like iron.

"Happy? We could make her happy and safe if we had kept tighter control of her!"

"Control her?! She's not some doll in a dollhouse!" It was getting hard to breathe now. Her sight was going blurry, and her arms felt tired.

"And look what happened! It's _your fault_!"

"Is this a bad time?"

Homura turned to see Kyosuke standing nearby. She then looked back. She was in her Puella Magi uniform. She didn't have her glasses. Her hair was loose. Homulilly was nowhere to be seen.

"Kyosuke." Homura picked herself up.

He looked frustrated as he gazed up at the sky. "Ramuh the Stormbringer. I have to say, I did not anticipate the interference of an Esper."

"Ramuh? Esper? What are you talking about?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. This World wouldn't know about such things."

"_This_ World?" Homura stepped back, and aimed her bow at Kyosuke again. "How do you know about these things?"

Kyosuke shrugged. "I suppose this guise has worn out it's usefulness."

"Guise? So you aren't Kyosuke!"

"No. Kyosuke's appearance was simply a convenient cover while I observed things here. I must be careful when I travel, for there are those who would do harm upon me. But first introductions." Kyosuke's body flickered and warped, and wisps curled off of him like some sort of mist. When the cloud faded, in his place stood a tan-skinned elderly man in a black longcoat and white undershirt. He was bald though his eyebrows and goatee indicated silver hair. His eyes were yellow. When he spoke, his voice was deep and raspy. "You may call me Xehanort."

* * *

___Again, thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding!___

___~Dragonexx___


	12. End of the Beginning

**Chapter 12**

**End of the Beginning**

* * *

The first thing Madoka was aware of was the sound, crackling thunder. The next was the sharp smell of ozone. Finally, when she dared to open her eyes, she gasped at where she was. She was lying on a cloudy platform hovering over some sort of gigantic hand!

She looked up, to see what the hand was connected to, and gasped even harder. Holding her was a gigantic old man, with a beard so long it was almost ankle length. He wore flowing robes and lightning crackled around him. His eyes glowed with power.

She looked around the area. She appeared to be inside the eye of some sort of massive storm. She couldn't see anything resembling ground or the sky, both obscured by the thick, swirling clouds. Lying next to her were her friends, all seemingly unconscious.

"Who… are you?" Madoka asked the radiant being.

"**I am Ramuh, Esper of Storms and Knowledge.**" His voice was mixed with the sound of crackling lightning and booming thunder.

Madoka heard groaning nearby. She turned to see Sayaka and the others stirring.

"What's with all the racket, Madoka? I… _Holy shit!"_ Sayaka looked up to see Ramuh and her eyes widened. She drew her cutlass.

"**Peace, child. I mean you no harm.**"

"What are you?" Mami asked, awestruck.

"**I suppose it isn't too much effort to answer again. I am Ramuh, Esper of Storms and Knowledge. Also known as the Archon of Storms, Lord of Levin, and the Fulgurian.**"

"Is it just me, or did that not explain anything?" Kyoko asked.

"**I suppose your World has never heard of Espers before. We are great spirits. Ideas and concepts given Heart and body. We have taken many forms and names across many Worlds.**"

"Okay, but the more important question, is where are we?!" Sayaka said, looking around.

"**You are in the Corridors of the Sky, also called the Lanes Between.**"

"Between what?"

"**Between Worlds.**"

"We're out in space?!" Nagisa said. "That's amazing! Though how we are breathing is somewhat of a mystery..."

"**I should say space in a manner of speaking.**"

"What manner?"

"**A World can be many things. Some may encompass a city, a kingdom, a country, or even something as small as just a series of islands. Some may be massively large, a continent, a planet, a solar system, a galaxy, or even multiple galaxies. Some may call them universes or dimensions, but World is the most accurate term.**"

"You mean like we're in another dimension?" Madoka asked.

"**Between dimensions, to be more accurate.**" Ramuh answered.

"So then, next question. What the hell has been happening these past few days?!" Kyoko demanded.

"**The Heartless have invaded your World, as is their nature. At the same time, a Keyblade has chosen young Madoka as its wielder.**"

Madoka summoned Crystal Clarity to her hand. "I remember… You spoke to me a bit in a dream a few days ago."

"**Indeed, a shame our conversation had to be cut short.**"

"So then, what exactly is going on?"

"**This is a long story...**"

* * *

Homura had to admit, as ugly as it was, the castle _was_ useful. Currently, she reclined on her throne, flanked by two Clara dolls, while Xehanort stood before her.

"Who are you?" Homura asked. "Give me a reason why I should trust you."

Xehanort said nothing. Instead, he held out his hand. There was a crackle of electricty, a burst of light, and then he was holding a key shaped blade. It was similar in shape, but only in the loosest sense. Unlike Madoka's, this one looked to be made of some sort of black metal and vaguely reminded Homura of an axe. It had a strange blue-glowing eye on both the tip of the blade, and on the chain hanging from the end. At the base of the blade was an engraving of a goats head.

Homura's eyes widened as she leaned forwards. "Is that…?"

"A Keyblade. Yes. I too, bear this burden. And make no mistake, it is a burden." Xehanort snapped his fingers, and one of the bug heartless appeared before him.

Homura stood up, and aimed her bow at him. Her familiars grew tense as well. "You can _control them?"_

"To a degree, yes."

"And yet you let them hurt Madoka!"

"It's not a question of letting so much as ability. Were I able to, Madoka would have been safe and unmolested. The Heartless however, will seek out and corrupt Hearts, to create more of themselves, by instinct alone. Those with the proper knowledge and ability can control the Heartless, but I am not the only such one. There are others who are capable of this as well such as Maleficent, an evil fairy, who seeks power and conquest. These were her Heartless, they obeyed her commands to sow destruction and chaos. I, on the other hand, like to think of my self as a scientist. A student of the Heart. What I and my colleagues seek is knowledge and balance. It was such curiosities about the Heart that originally brought me to this World. Imagine it, the ability to separate one's Heart from the body, and yet remain connected all the same. Empowered even. It was fascinating to me! I had to know, though in my research into this World, I came across many things that troubled me.

"Make no mistake Homura, the life of a key-bearer is a hard one. We are constantly hounded by the forces of darkness. True peace is impossible for us. But it is a life I _chose_. In my youth I was approached by a master of the art, and accepted his offer. He performed a ritual of inheritance, granting me the ability to wield a Keyblade, and then I was trained. I have made many mistakes in my long life, but I have never considered that to be one of them. However, others may be chosen without their knowledge or consent. Keyblades are in some ways, sentient, perhaps even sapient. They can manifest for a person on their own, binding them to a life of hardship and turmoil. A boy from my own homeworld was chosen in such a manner, and his life has been turned upside down, loosing friends, family, and even his very identity. I would not see young Madoka walk down a similar path."

"Why?" Homura asked. Her hand began to shake. The bow vanished. Everything he was saying filled her with dread. "What is Madoka to you?"

Xehanort looked outside towards the balcony. "If you would, please come with me, it's easier to show you."

Homura followed him, only to feel something grab her hand and try to pull her back. She turned, to see a frightened looking girl, with black hair in braids, and glasses over her violet eyes.

"A-are we sure we can trust him?_" _Akemi Homura asked, holding on to Homura's wrist. "This is all sounding too suspicious."

"Of course _you'd_ say that, worthless coward." The was a sound of flapping wings, and a dusting of black feathers. The Devil descended from above. "You were not questioned, yet you speak out of turn."

"It's just that a creepy old man shows up claiming to know Madoka. This doesn't feel right."

"Did it not feel right to stop fair Madoka from contracting with the loathsome Incubator? Did it not feel right to free her from the wretched Goddess? Your worthlessness knows no bounds. Weak and craven. Pathetic. You have not the strength to do the deeds that need be done. Begone!"

"But-"

"Unless you have a better suggestion? Surely, the little failure of a girl has a plan that will allow us to find and rescue our dear Madoka. We're all ears!" The Devil taunted.

"I..." Akemi Homura looked down to the ground, her lip trembling.

"As was expected. Begone!" Akemi Homura was shoved away.

Homura turned forwards, following Xehanort as he stepped out to the balcony.

"Homura, how much do you know about other Worlds?"

"I have an alien locked up in my basement, as you saw earlier."

Xehanort gave an amused grin. "Not what I meant. When I say World, I mean more than that simple concept. A World could be as grand as a universe or as small as a forest, or anywhere in between."

Xehanort raised his keyblade towards the sky. A beam of light shot upwards into the clouds, and they parted, revealing a starry sky, even though it was only noon. Though shocked, what was more shocking was the realization that these stars were completely different from the normal ones.

"What is this?" Homura asked.

"_Behold!_ The true sky which all Worlds share!" Xehanort gestured to the brilliant display. "Now, realize that each star you see is a World, and you can begin to understand the importance of Madoka."

"Understand what?"

"Once, each one of those stars, each one of those Worlds was part of a grand World, the First World. A World so massive that it defies comprehension, in an age long faded into myth. In the beginning, there was only darkness, an endless void of chaos and discord. Eventually, through it's utter randomness, it spawned light, in the form of Kingdom Hearts!"

"Kingdom Hearts? What is that?"

"People have Hearts, the core of their being. No two are truly alike. Worlds also have Hearts, embodying all aspects of it's nature. Kingdom Hearts is the heart of all Worlds and all people, the Heart of the universe itself, the source of ultimate knowledge and power."

"Imagine it. The Original World, a golden age of peace and prosperity, where people, blessed by the light of Kingdom Hearts achieved feats of science and magic that have never been replicated since. There was no hardship, no want, no grief or suffering. A paradise! Unfortunately, it was not to last. The true nature of mankind could not be denied and soon made itself apparent. The Keyblade War was inevitable..."

"T-the Keyblade War?" Homura asked. Unbidden, her thoughts drifted to the key Madoka wielded, making her anxious.

Xehanort gestured with his Keyblade, and everything around them began to shimmer, as images appeared, imposing themselves over the castle. The knot in her stomach worsened as she saw a massive dry, dusty, wasteland, littered with dull, rusted, Keyblades. There had to be hundreds, no, thousands, maybe even more!

"The Keyblade Graveyard. These lifeless keys used to be full of power, united with the Hearts of their masters. In that age, people began to covet the light wanting it for themselves, and became jealous, fearful of what would happen should the light belong to another. They began to fight over it. And from that greed and selfishness, darkness returned to the World and with it, the Heartless came as countless warriors sought the _χ-blade_."

"Keyblade?"

"No, not like the keys that Madoka or I wield." Xehanort gestured and a hologram of the greek letter _χ_ appeared over his palm. "_Chi_ a most ancient letter. Some say '_Kye'_ but the meaning is the same. Death, a letter that spells endings. This _χ-blade _was the counterpart to Kingdom Hearts, it's protector. All other Keyblades were originally forged in imitation of this true blade, in order to attempt to claim Kingdom Hearts for themselves.

"On this barren soil, Keyblades of light and darkness were locked in combat as a great Keyblade War raged across the World. Countless Keyblade wielders gave up their lives all in pursuit of the ultimate key. Great and terrible weapons were unleashed and nightmarish magics rent the land asunder in a war so massive and awful that all the conflicts of today pale in comparison to that horror. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, no one prevailed. There were no victors in that war. The clash shattered the _χ-blade_ into twenty shards, seven of light, and thirteen of darkness. The World was torn apart, as Kingdom Hearts itself was swallowed up by the darkness, never to be seen again. On that land, darkness prevailed, and the light expired_."_"

* * *

"**Or so it had been written. In truth, small fragments of light survived in the hearts of children, and the World was preserved, though separate, apart, alone. And thus, are the Worlds we live in today.**"

That was a lot to take in. A golden age of fairy tales in a World of light. A war bringing darkness leading to the destruction of the old World and the creation of the current one.

"Jeez, this whole thing sound like the plot to some cheesy RPG." Kyoko said. She looked at her spear. "But, it makes as much sense as anything else that's been happening lately."

"So, I suppose, that leads into the next question. What is the Keyblade?" Mami asked.

Ramuh looked at Madoka.

"You told me that it was something like a blessing and a curse. You talked about… destiny?" She asked.

"**A Keyblade is a wondrous device, shaped and empowered by it's wielders strong Heart. Among it's most simplest abilities, it can open or close any lock or seal, and it can act as a conduit for magic. However, each Keyblade is unique, just as each Heart is unique. As the wielder develops their own capabilities and forms connections with other Hearts, it's abilities may be improved.**"

"When you say Heart, it doesn't sound like you mean the blood-pumping organ." Madoka asked.

**"Indeed. Many names for it exist. Core. Essence. Nature. Spirit. But Heart is the truest of all. The very center of being, from which spring emotions, willpower, connections and personality. This is also from where the Heartless are born. When a Heart becomes consumed by darkness, it is separated from the body, and transformed into a monster, a monster which exists only to sow discord and spread their darkness to others, a cruel creature entirely without empathy or reason, and thus are they called Heartless. These creatures of darkness who invade and consume entire Worlds.**

"**And then there is the Keyblade. The Heartless have a great and instinctive fear of this weapon, for it above all others is the most dangerous to them. A Heartless can be slain by conventional forms of attack, yes, but this destruction is not permanent. It will simply reform some time later, none the worse for wear. However, a Heartless slain by a Keyblade is utterly destroyed, it's captive Heart is set free and restored to its original state. And thus, the wielder can never know peace, for the Heartless will hunt them relentlessly and mercilessly, to end the threat they pose.**"

"Wait..." Madoka considered his words, and then gasped at the implications. She collapsed to her knees as Crystal Clarity dropped from her hands. If what Ramuh was saying was true then… "I can bring them back! Mama, Papa, and Tatsuya can come back!"

She felt her vision blur as her eyes began to water. They weren't gone forever. She could get her family back. She could get Hitomi and Kyosuke and Ms. Saotome back! She could get _everybody on Earth back!_

"**Yes, that is true.**"

"Haha!" Madoka felt Sayaka glomp her, and they both fell over to the ground. She couldn't blame her. It was as if a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders. They could get their families back!

* * *

Homura's mind reeled, so much to take in. Other universes, other Keyblades, Heartless, ancient myths. But one question still remained, so she centered herself on that.

"You still haven't explained why Madoka is so important to you."

"Ah yes. She is one of the keys necessary to obtain Kingdom Hearts. As I said, the _χ-blade_ was split into twenty shards, seven of light and thirteen of darkness. Those fragments did not vanish. Instead, they have manifested themselves throughout the ages. The shards of light embody themselves in the Hearts of pure maidens. Throughout the ages, there have always been seven. Some give up the mantle after accomplishing a great deed, for others, it leaves upon their death, but there are always seven, known as Maidens of Light, or Princesses of Heart. For, while darkness may be the Hearts true essence, these women have Hearts of purest light, utterly devoid of any hint of the darkness that so taints the rest of the World, and thus are able to defy that natural law."

"Madoka..." Homura's eyes widened. She really was that important…

"Thus do I fear for the well-being of young Madoka. A Keyblade wielder is constantly hounded by the forces of darkness, but as a Princess of Heart, she is in even more danger. A pure Heart such as hers is awesomely powerful, and there are those that would stop at nothing to obtain them. Maleficent is one such villain. In the past she invaded other Worlds, and abducted the previous incarnations of the pure lights, stealing their Hearts to forge the way into Kingdom Hearts so as to gain immeasurable power. Due to my involvement, her schemes came to naught, and she appeared to have been struck down, though in truth she survived her apparent demise, and now pursues other wicked schemes."

"But you… also seek Kingdom Hearts, right?"

"Indeed. The unison of Light and Darkness will bring about Kingdom Hearts, but I have a method that will not place the Princesses at risk. No harm need befall them. Likewise with the shards of darkness. They too, survive throughout the ages, though they must be made to manifest, and in a different manner from the Princesses. Hence the creation of my Organization XIII. What I want with Madoka is to free her from the burden of the Keyblade, and return her safely to your World. What you have done is admirable, to protect young Madoka from the dangers of the World. I only ask that you continue what you have done. All Madoka needs to do is exist for things to work."

"But then, what will you do with Kingdom Hearts? What makes you different from this Maleficent?" Homura asked.

"I seek to restore Kingdom Hearts to it's rightful place in a balanced universe. Ever since it's departure, the universe has been in a slow decline, rotting and decaying. And so I ask your help, Homura. It is not an easy burden to bear, there is much that is wrong with the World, but someone has to step up, and prevent the weak from polluting the World with their endless darkness."

Homura paused, taking in all of his words. It… all made sense. Everything that she had experienced now made _sense!_ It was as if a a piece had been added to a puzzle that she wasn't even aware was incomplete, and now she could see the whole picture! Madoka was one of the few islands of kindness in a vast ocean of wretchedness. And now she was thrown into that sea, completely at it's mercy. Homura had been right all along. She needed to be protected. The universe depended on it. She turned towards Xehanort. "Okay, I believe you."

* * *

Her celebration was short lived. There was a deafening crack of thunder. The area around them began to darken.

"What's going on?"

"**Darkness is very strong in the Lanes Between. Travelers in these areas typically fly ships, or wear special suits to protect themselves from it. In the absence of those I've been shielding you, but I cannot do so forever. Both the summoning, and my own energies have limits.**"

"So what do we do?" Nagisa asked.

"**There is so much more I wish to tell you, but our time is drawing short. I can take you to a nearby World. There, you should be able to board a train, which will ferry you to a wizard, known as Yen Sid.**"

"A wizard?" Mami asked.

"That sounds so cool!" Nagisa said.

"**The wizard is himself a retired Keyblade Master who now dedicates his time to the study of the mystic arts. He will be able to explain to you what I could not. Will you seek him out?**"

"Yes! I will." Madoka said.

"Then godspeed. We will meet again." Ramuh's hand began to close on them. There was a flash of light and then… the sound of bells?

* * *

_A mostly exposition focused chapter, though I've striven to make it interesting to read and think about. Xehanort is surprisingly fun to write for. Although I still think the _χ-blade looks fucking ridiculous.__

_Credit to Stewart92 for his awesome portrayal of the espers! His fic, A Skittering Heart, is what inspired me to start this one!_

____And thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding!____


	13. Outset

**Chapter 13**

**Outset**

* * *

Like before, the first thing Madoka was aware of was the sound. She could hear bells tolling, somewhere nearby. She stirred, feeling as if she was waking up from sleep, grogginess and all. She wanted to just keep her eyes shut.

The bell tolled again like an incessant alarm, insisting that she couldn't sleep. Eventually, Madoka had to agree. She was on a mission, wasn't she?

She opened her eyes to find that she was sitting on a bench. The others were next to her and gradually stirring as well.

Madoka looked forwards, to see a great tower topped with the bells that had woken her. Lower to the ground, she saw a glass door, with a sign nearby saying "Twilight Town Train Station."

"Twilight Town huh?" Kyoko said. She looked up into the sky. "Seems kinda fitting."

Madoka followed her gaze, and looked up at the sky, which was a myriad of brilliant sunset colors.

"Whoa!" Nagisa shouted. "Look!"

Everyone turned, to see that Nagisa was leaning over a balcony. Madoka gasped as she saw a beautiful city framed by the setting sun. However, even more amazing were the _sounds_. She had only been without them for a few hours but hearing them now made her realize how much she had missed them. The sounds of the city, of vehicles driving, train whistles, of horns honking. The hustle and bustle of people going about their days, the footsteps and voices, the sounds of dogs barking and birds flapping and chirping. It was _amazing_.

"This is another World, right?" Sayaka said.

"Yes, that's what Ramuh said."

"Then we're on an alien planet!" Sayaka shouted. "Hold on! We're the aliens! That's awesome!"

"Hey, Sayaka, your clothes!" Mami said.

"Huh? What about- Oh cool!" Everyone turned to see that Sayaka's clothes had been repaired, and then realized that the same had been done for them. Cuts, scrapes, bruises, and burns had all been healed, and the damages to their clothing had been fixed.

"Now _that's_ service." Kyoko said.

"So where do we go next! Let's explore!" Sayaka said.

"We do have a mission, remember." Mami said.

"Yes, we're supposed to board a train that will take us to the wizard Yen Sid."

"I didn't ask before, but what? Is this Harry Potter?" Kyoko asked. "Are we going to Hogwarts?"

"Hogwarts? What's that?" Mami asked.

"Wait seriously? You've never read _Harry Potter_? Never seen the movies? Are you kidding me?"

"No, I haven't."

"Sucks to be you. I mean, that was one of my dad's favorite..." Kyoko trailed off, and then went silent.

She never really talked about much about her past. Madoka remembered hearing about it from Sayaka some time ago. It was clearly a sensitive topic.

"Let's head into the station." Nagisa suggested.

Twilight Station was no platform 9 ¾, but it was suitably impressive, being incredibly spacious, with numerous trains. Their attention was immediately drawn to a blue train bearing a pointy hat decorated with moons and stars.

"Soooo… can anyone tell which train will take us to the wizard?" Sayaka asked sarcastically.

"Well, then all that's left is to buy the tickets." Mami said. She pointed out a counter.

"You guys go ahead."

"Madoka?" Sayaka's tone became worried. "Why?"

She pointed towards the restrooms. "It's no big deal. Be back in a sec'."

* * *

Madoka looked over herself in the mirror. Her attention was drawn to the strip of gauze Mami had attached to her cheek. It felt funny, and she had to wonder why. If all their wounds had been healed, then it wasn't necessary, wasn't it?

And yet she felt nervous somehow. As she touched the patch, she felt a tingle. She hesitated, before gritting her teeth and pulling it off.

And there it was, staring back at her reflection. A scar. A big ugly claw mark across her left cheek. A permanent reminder of when her father's Heartless had attacked her. Of when she lost her family. Apparently, Ramuh had his limits, or maybe it was something to do with the darkness.

_The flash of lightning as monsters leaped upon her._

_The unearthly laughter as green fire enveloped her._

_Waking up to see tears run down her father's face as a policeman spoke to him._

Madoka's hands began to tremble. She tried to lean against the sink, but her grip felt weak.

_Her father bleeding out on the floor as a monster stood over him._

_Tatsuya impaled upon a burning spear._

_The world warping in impossible ways as Homura howled._

Madoka's throat felt raw. Her chest felt heavy. A knot formed in her stomach, and she started to feel nauseous. Her grip slipped and she collapsed to her knees. Hot tears streaked down her face as she began to sob. It would be fine, she told herself. She could fix all of this. So why did she feel so bad?

"Hey, Madoka, what's taking so long. Are you- _Oh my god!_" She heard Sayaka's voice, though it felt distant. She felt arms embrace her, and felt a warm body pressed against her. It didn't feel real.

"Madoka?! What happened?! You were taking a while, so I..." She paused, as she turned Madoka's head towards her and saw her scar. "Oh… oh… oh no..."

"I-it's f-f-fine. It's… it's… it's..." Madoka started to sob again. She couldn't form words, it was as if her tongue had gone numb. Her jaw felt weak.

_The fiery explosion._

_A blazing sword barely blocked._

_Sayaka's burnt body._

Sayaka held Madoka's head beneath her chin. "Don't worry. I'm here. We're _all_ here."

Eventually, Madoka managed to catch her breath. "I… I… can't..."

"You can!" Sayaka said. "_We _can! We'll win! We'll get everyone back!"

Crystal Clarity appeared in Madoka's hands. She let the Keyblade fall to the ground with a clatter. "Ramuh said that the Heartless would always be after me. S-so… even if Mama, and Papa, and Tatsuya come back, they'll still be in danger. W-will… will I have to leave them?"

"I… uh… I… don't know..." Sayaka paused, her voice trembling slightly. She then hugged Madoka tighter, and spoke more forcefully. "We'll just have to keep moving forwards. Besides, Ramuh said that Yen Sid is a former Keyblade Master, if anyone can figure this out, it's him!"

"R-right." Madoka took a deep breath.

"Are you okay to stand?" Sayaka asked.

"Yeah. Thanks." Madoka said, as Sayaka helped her up. She picked up the Keyblade as well.

"Then let's get going, the others are waiting."

As she stepped out of the restroom, Mami turned to her, and gasped, placing her hands over her mouth. Nagisa started staring as well. Kyoko paused, scowled, and then turned away. At first, she though it was because she had been obviously crying, but then she remembered the scars.

"Madoka..."

"It's fine. It is what it is." She said. "Do you have the tickets?"

"Yeah… about that… there were some… complications."

"What kind of complications?"

"The currency kind." Kyoko huffed.

"What do you mean?"

"Well… I went to counter to request 5 tickets. I went to pay, but apparently, they've never even heard of Yen. So… we need to somehow get 4500 Munny."

"Alien currencies." Nagisa said. "Not something you usually think about..."

"So were stuck here?" Sayaka asked.

As Madoka dismissed her Keyblade, she saw a group of people run out of the station.

"Maybe we can sneak aboard." Kyoko said.

"What? No! We're not going to stowaway."

"Why? It's not hard. I do it all the time!"

"I… no comment."

The girls exited the train station.

"So what now?" Sayaka asked.

"I could-" Kyoko started.

"We are _not_ stealing anything." Mami interrupted.

"...I wasn't gonna say that."

"You definitely were." Nagisa said.

"Well who asked you?" Kyoko retorted.

"Well, we do still have to find a way to somehow get 4500 Munny."

"Maybe find some sort of quick job or something?" Madoka suggested.

"Nah, it's unreliable and we're pressed for time. I have a better solution!" Kyoko said.

"I said we're not stealing anything."

"I never said anything about stealing. It'll be totally earned!"

"And how?"

"Simple! We have Mami get naked!"

"W-what? No!" Mami's face turned a bright pink.

"Really?" Sayaka said. "Do you always have to go there? What's gotten into you?"

Kyoko leaned back. "Pfft… like you haven't been thinkin' it? We put on a show! It'll certainly draw a crowd! We-"

"Hey you!"

Everyone turned to see a group of people approaching them, two boys and a girl. The one in front had blonde hair, and he was flanked a rather portly boy, and a girl with brown hair.

"Who are you guys?"

"I'm Hayner. This is Pence and Olette." Said the boy in the lead. "We… uh... couldn't help but overhear your predicament."

Kyoko grinned and leaned forwards. "So you want to see Mami's-"

Mami held up her hand, silencing Kyoko. "What do you mean by 'predicament'?"

"You're short on Munny that you need for train tickets, right?" Pence asked.

"We don't have much Munny to spare ourselves, but we do have a solution that doesn't involve… whatever it is you were going to do." Olette said.

"Like what?" Sayaka asked.

"Have any of you heard of _Struggle_?"

* * *

The city was on fire. Screams echoed everywhere as buildings collapsed. She was reminded of what had happened to her own World and it was not a comfortable feeling.

Had it been peaceful, the city might have looked beautiful, with stunning authentic architecture and impressive gardens. Now, however, it was in the process of a disaster. Heartless ran amok, with the civilians of the town fleeing for their lives.

Homura took stock of the options she had for herself. Apparently, outside her own World, she was significantly weaker, much to her frustration. Her ability to shape reality was lost. However, she appeared to have her shield back, though its powers over time were changed. She still had her bow as well, which was confusing in itself. But that wasn't a concern right now. Had Madoka really been brought to this place?

* * *

_Earlier..._

"Where is Madoka now then?"

Xehanort returned to looking at the sky. Whatever he had done was fading, and the storm clouds were reasserting themselves. He appeared frustrated again. "I cannot say for sure. There are too many variables at play. An Esper is called by a summoner. Maleficent may be responsible for that."

"But I saw Madoka summon Ramuh. There was some sort of magical circle she created."

"Maleficent is capable of ensorcelling others to do her bidding. A young man I like to think of as my pupil suffered this fate, and was made to use his powers to steal the Heart of another Princess for her against his will. Even if Maleficent was not directly responsible for Ramuh's intervention, Espers are fickle creatures, and Madoka may not be able to keep control over such a being. It wouldn't be anywhere near the first time an Esper has killed a novice summoner in a fit of rage."

"Killed?" It was as if ice was injected directly into her veins.

"If he somehow intends to 'help' her, there is a likely place he might send her, a world known for its legendary warriors who vanquish monsters. Other Key-bearers have come through there as well. It is also coincidentally, where Maleficent is likely to head next. And, if the worst has come to pass, we would be able to learn the truth of Madoka's fate as well, and then move from there. I can send you there if you wish."

"What about this World. What will happen to it?"

"Each World has a Keyhole, a portal leading to its Heart. It is possible for a Keyblade to seal this portal, preventing access, thus preventing the Heartless from consuming the Heart and destroying the World." Xehanort gestured to his Keyblade. "I have ensured this World's Keyhole is secure."

Xehanort gestured, and a mass of writhing shadows appeared, forming into a vortex.

"This will take you to the World known as Olympus, where you can begin your search. Be wary however, other Worlds may be dangerous. Also, our enemies may be everywhere! Never let on that you are associated with me, for both my well-being, and your own."

* * *

She had her mission. First, seek Madoka out in this world. Failing that, gain information from Maleficent, as she was most definitely here as well. And lastly, in the worst-case scenario, Hades was the God of the Dead. Should Madoka be dead, he would be able to tell her for certain.

But she really hoped it didn't come to that. She leaped out over the city, running along rooftops, keeping an eye out for anything that could lead to Madoka, though as she did so, questions ran through her mind.

This was the city of Thebes in Greece. Thebes existed as well in her own world, though more modern of course. This was also the case with the gods, as she thought about Hades. These gods had been worshiped once in her own world. Were they the same gods? Were there versions of these gods on her own world? Were ancient people aware of other worlds like this? Was it all some really bizarre coincidence? Were there worlds containing figures from other religions and mythologies? And speaking of worlds…

Xehanort had called this world Olympus, and she could see what she assumed was the titular mountain off in the distance. But… far out did everything go? Just this city and the mountain? The entire Hellenistic world? The entire planet of Earth circa whatever year BCE? The solar system, the galaxy? Surprisingly, it was all so very _fascinating_. She wanted to know more. There were a lot of questions like... was that screaming? Was that screaming getting closer?

Then, before she could react, something heavy crashed into her in midair, slamming her into the ground and knocking the breath out of her. Her vision blurred, and everything felt dizzy. She then heard a voice.

"Gawrsh, Sora, are you okay?"

* * *

____Thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding!____


	14. Challenges

**Chapter 14**

**Challenges**

* * *

_At long last, the time had come_

_The planets were edging into perfect alignment…_

_And the plan Hades had devised 18 years ago was about to reach fruition_

_The Fates had predicted this very future_

_The day he would seize control over Olympus and rule over all the cosmos_

_Hades' previous attempts using Terra, Cloud, and Auron to advances his plans for conquest had failed_

_The hour was not yet right_

_But now, the planets were aligned, and nothing could possibly go wrong_

_A wave of darkness lanced down from their celestial rank and one by one, Hades freed the Titans_

_some of them, the same monstrosities Sora and his friends had bested before_

_With both the Titans and his longing for revenge against Zeus reinvigorated, Hades began his attack on Olympus…_

* * *

Homura immediately sprung into action, tossing off her assailants and rolling to her feet. As she aimed her bow at them, she noted their strange appearance.

One was a boy who looked to be around her physical age. His clothing looked more modern and he had spiky hair and blue eyes. The other was an _anthropomorphic dog_? She wasn't that well versed on classical mythology, but she didn't recall anything like that. Of course that made it all the more dangerous.

"Who are you?" Homura demanded.

The boy spoke up. "I'm Sora..."

He paused and looked towards the dog, who looked back at him, confused. Like they were expecting something.

"Where's Donald?"

There was a sudden squawking sound from above. Homura whipped around, to see some sort of duck wearing clothes, it's mantle caught on the teeth of a lion statue. "Sora, Goofy, get me down!"

"Don't worry Donald! We're on it!" Sora shouted. Ignoring Homura, he climbed up on the statue, and started trying to pull "Donald" from it. "Goofy" rushed over as well, helping to free the duck.

She wondered if she was being paranoid. They were likely just more civilians that had fallen from one of the taller buildings.

"Are you so sure?" Said a familiar voice behind her. Homura stiffened, and slowly turned to see The Devil approaching her. "Look at them, they completely stand out. Those clothes are completely outlandish and unfitting. And those names! Those are not Greek names. Xehanort said that our enemies could be anywhere!"

"They don't seem that threatening." Said another voice. Akemi Homura approached.

"Kyubey didn't seem threatening at first, and look what happened! Sayaka didn't seem like a threat at first either! Have you really learned nothing?! Though what else can you expect..."

Akemi's eyes widened at those words, and it looked like she was again on the verge of tears. "N-no. Are we really going to attack some random people? They haven't done anything to us! This is paranoia!"

"He smashed us into the ground. Maybe accidental. Maybe not. Always helps to be sure." The Devil said as she shoved Akemi away. "Take the shot."

Homura focused on the three of them. Donald was still stuck, and now apparently Sora had somehow gotten _himself_ stuck inside the lion's mouth as well, and Goofy was now trying to free them both.

Homura took aim at Sora, the burning arrow locking on to his head. They weren't even paying attention. It'd be easy. When Sora went down, the others would be shocked and confused, making it simple to…

Then she heard the sound. That horrid watery sound that heralded the arrival of the Heartless. They appeared all around her, writhing bug shadows, fiery creatures, massively bloated forms, and centaurs wielding spears.

Homura rolled to the side, as one of the centaurs thrust at her, and retaliated with an arrow, exploding against the Heartless' flank. It stumbled to the side, but wasn't defeated yet. It attempted to counter with another thrust, forcing Homura to dodge again, and then narrowly avoid a fireball from another Heartless.

As she stepped back, she focused on her shield. The gears in the timepiece began to move and her attention was drawn to the centaur once more. In her vision, she saw something like a clock superimposed over the Heartless, and the minute and second hands began to slow down. "_Slow._" The word came to her mind and became voice as she watched the movements of the Heartless become sluggish, as if a movie had entered slow motion. Now, it was easy. A single shot from her bow struck the Heartless in the head, destroying it.

Her powers had changed. Again.

She was forced to fall back as several fiery heartless came charging towards her. She was about to open fire, when instead, a ball of highly pressurized water sailed past her to explode against the Heartless. There was no other word for it, they were extinguished.

Homura turned to see Sora leaping forwards, and froze as she saw what he was holding. _A Keyblade!_ Unlike Madoka's or Xehanorts, his was simpler in design, its teeth and shaft were silver, with a blue band around the base. The hilt was golden, with a black grip, and a simple steel chain ending in a mouse shaped symbol.

Sora brought the weapon down one of the Heartless, destroying it completely. A fat Heartless glowed red and charged at him, only for him to meet it head on, standing his ground. The Heartless' charge was halted and it bounced back, only to be hit by the Keyblade like it was a golf ball and sent flying into the air and then shot by a fireball emerging from the tip of Sora's Keyblade and destroyed.

Homura was so shocked, she didn't notice that a Heartless had shot a fireball towards her as well, until it was too late. She hastily held up her arms, awaiting more pain, only to instead hear an impact. She opened her eyes to see Goofy standing in front of her, holding a shield.

"Are you okay?"

Homura said nothing, instead looking past him to the battle ahead. Donald proved to be just as capable as the others, wielding some sort of magic staff. From the tip he fired a shard of ice that on impact exploded releasing a wave of frost and cold that entombed several Heartless, where they were promptly destroyed by Sora. In short order, the trio's teamwork defeated the Heartless.

"Whew!" Sora wiped his brow. "They're still everywhere!"

"Is-" Homura stood up. "Is that a Keyblade?"

"Oh! Right! You're here!" Sora said. "And yeah, this is a Keyblade. How did you know about that though? I thought it had been a long time since other Key-bearers had been to this Wor-"

Immediately Donald leaped on Sora, covering his mouth. "Order!"

"Oh right!" Sora said.

"You're from another World?" Homura asked.

"What? No! That's crazy! Where would you hear something like that?" Sora laughed nervously while Donald and Goofy facepalmed. "There's no such thing as..."

"I'm from another World as well." Homura said.

The trio gasped. "Really! I didn't think there were that many other people who did that! Why are you here though?"

"I'm looking for someone. Her name is Madoka Kaname. She's about my age. She has pink hair and eyes. She's a..." Homura had been about to tell them about her Keyblade, but stopped. She wasn't sure if she should trust him with that information. "...person very dear to me."

Sora pondered. "No, I haven't seen anyone like that..."

"Oh." Homura turned to leave.

"Hey, don't worry! It's a big city! I'm sure we'll find her somewhere!"

"We'll?" Homura said.

"Of course. Can't just leave you hanging like that! Besides, there's someone I'm looking for here too. Why not work together? Now…" He paused, looking confused. "What was your name again?"

"I never told you. It's Homura Akemi."

Sora smiled. "Well Homura, come with us!"

* * *

Struggle turned out to be something completely different from what Madoka expected. Not that she was entirely sure what she _had_ expected, but she was still surprised.

As it turned out, it involved attaching numerous orbs to your body with velcro. The two combatants would then strike at each other with foam bats in an attempt to knock their opponents orbs off. If one lost all their orbs to their opponent, or had fewer than their opponent when time ran out, or exited the ring, then they lost. And it was all for a grand prize of 50,000 munny. Madoka wasn't that interested in playing. She had never been all that good at sports back home, she was too clumsy. Nobody had wanted her for their team. But she was going to have to put that aside. If all of them entered, they'd have a greater chance of obtaining the grand prize.

The selection of bats was also a factor, choosing between three different shapes. One looked like a simple club, another was a long wand, while a third was more sword like with a guarded hilt. Nagisa and Madoka gravitated to the wands, while Mami and Sayaka chose the swords. Kyoko picked the club. And with that, the tournament began.

As it turned out the first match involved Kyoko, and she was facing off against a local. Somebody named Seifer. The others took their seats in the stands, to watch the match play out.

"Haven't seen you around here before?" Seifer said.

"What, that a problem?" Kyoko retorted.

"If you're here to cause trouble, it is, loser. I lead the Twilight Town Disciplinary Committee."

Kyoko snorted. "What, are you some sorta wannabe cop? Like those pretentious student council types, thinkin' your really qualified, when everyone just likes your pretty face."

"What?!"

"Not like you that goin' for ya' though. So who'd ya' bribe?" She shrugged.

"Why you-!"

"AND STRUGGLE!"

Kyoko was fast, taking advantage of Seifer's distraction to land several quick strikes, knocking loose orbs which she quickly gathered and reattached to herself. Seifer attempted to counter attack, only for her to dodge out of the way and land another series of strikes, knocking loose even more orbs. The crowd cheered.

"And that's it? Geez, ya' really are all just talk, aint'cha?"

Seifer recovered his guard and jumped back, clear surprise and frustration showing on his face. His expression returned to calmness as he deflected Kyoko's next series of attacks and then to Madoka's surprise, leaped high up into the air. It was apparently to Kyoko's surprise as well, because she didn't even react as Seifer came streaking towards her from the air, with a direct hit, knocking off many of her own orbs.

After this impact, there was a scramble as both combatants attempted to gather the fallen orbs. Kyoko was still faster, and when time was called, she was the victor.

The crowd cheered again. Seifer for his part didn't look too upset. He shrugged and walked off with his friends. Madoka reflected on the fight as the next bout was getting set up. The move Seifer pulled was certainly amazing and superhuman, but judging from the reactions of people appeared to be the norm.

Speaking of that, the next fight was between Nagisa, and somebody called Vivi. At first, Madoka had thought he was a Heartless, but apparently, that was just how he looked. Their fight was was even more bizarre and spectacular than the previous. Both of them were all over the place, with Nagisa wildly running about, while Vivi hopped around the arena like a madman, spinning in the air, and even doing odd things like increasing the size of his bat.

In the end, Nagisa won out, managing to trip Vivi as he went for an attack and sending him sprawling out of the arena.

"Well that was impressive." Madoka said after the match.

"This town looked kinda normal at first, but this _is_ a different world after all." Nagisa commented as Mami walked onto the stage. "That was really fun however!"

"If nothing else, it will make for a good training opportunity." Mami observed.

"Pfft. You call this training?" Kyoko said. "Didn't even break a sweat with that wannabe cop."

"You _say_ that." Sayaka countered. "Looks like you were pretty shocked by that move of his."

"Oh yeah? Why don't I shock you!"

Mami sighed. "At least save it for the arena."

"Speaking of which, you're match is up next!"

Mami's opponent turned out to be a man somewhat older than the rest of the combatants, and also had several scars. There were numerous women in the audience cheering and swooning for Setzer. And then he opened the match by flirting with Mami, which she simply rolled her eyes at. At first, Madoka had thought him to be mostly talk, but he was surprisingly skilled. His speed was amazing, and Mami was unable to keep up, losing. The match was over fairly quickly, and thus, it was Madoka and Sayaka's turn.

Madoka nervously stepped onto the stage, with Sayaka onto the other side. She gripped her bat, and noted that it felt fairly awkward in her grip. So unlike Crystal Clarity. Maybe it was some property of the Keyblade that made it so intuitive to wield, because this felt just like playing baseball back in gym class. The bat always felt the wrong size for her hands, too heavy, too off balance. She had never hit the ball.

What did that mean though? Did everything come from the Keyblade? Was she really still just a clumsy, useless girl witho-

"Hey, all eyes are on us! Smile!" Sayaka said.

"W-what?"

"C'mon. We're the big heroes who will save the world! There's no reason to look so glum." Sayaka said with a big grin. She pointed to the cheering crowd. "Everything's gonna be fine! See?"

"But..."

"I mean, when we get everyone back, are you going to greet your family with a frown like that? You kick ass! You'll have saved the world! Think of how proud they'd be of that!"

At Sayaka's words, Madoka thought back to her family. She had always been in awe of her mother, and yet there was the feeling that she'd never live up to how amazing Junko Kaname was. But something like this? Madoka smiled.

"Thanks..."

"AND STRUGGLE!"

* * *

The match ended in Sayaka's victory, though for once, Madoka didn't feel at all bad about losing at sports. Instead, she felt a sort of satisfied exhaustion as she went back to the stands, where the others were waiting.

Mami and Nagisa looked fairly relaxed, though Kyoko scowled again, before looking away. What was she upset about?

"That was a good match!" Nagisa cheered. "Right?"

"Yeah... sure whatever." Kyoko said.

"It looks like we'll be up next."

Kyoko sighed. "Well, let's get this over with."

"What's wrong?" Sayaka asked.

"Nothing. I'm fine." Kyoko muttered. She sauntered into the arena, with Nagisa entering from the other side.

The next two matches passed quickly. Despite her earnestness, it was clear that Nagisa stood no change against Kyoko and she was quickly rung out. The same, surprisingly happened with Sayaka and Setzer, after he misstepped, and she tripped him, leaving the final bout to Sayaka and Kyoko.

Sayaka smiled as she dropped into a fighting stance. "And now it comes down to us! Fated rivals at the climax of the tournament! Their honor on the line! Who will come out on top!"

Kyoko simply frowned. "What? Is this all a game to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Of course… you don't understand. What else should I expect?"

"What?"

"LET'S STRUGGLE!" The announcers voice rang throughout the sandlot.

Kyoko didn't waste a second, immediately dashing forwards and striking Sayaka in the face. She stumbled back, guarding too late to prevent another hit to her side. When she tried to block down there, Kyoko thrust forwards, jabbing her right in the solar plexus. Sayaka gasped in pain and doubled over as she attempted to back away. She noticed that a few orbs had been knocked loose, but Kyoko was ignoring them, and instead walking towards Sayaka.

"Really? That's it?" Kyoko said.

"What are you talking about?" Sayaka asked. She then barely managed to block a blow from Kyoko. Her bat was knocked out of her hands. She dove towards it. Kyoko made no attempt to stop her as she recovered it.

"Figures. Shouldn't be surprised." Kyoko said.

"What do-"

What happened next was a blur of motion and impact. When Sayaka had control of her senses again, she found that she had been knocked outside the arena, most of her orbs had been detached.

"And the winner is… Kyoko Sakura!" There was a round of applause and cheering.

Kyoko shrugged and removed her gear as the announcer rushed over to her with the title belt and a pouch of the prize money. Kyoko took them, and then nonchalantly tossed them towards Sayaka, before taking off, to the confusion of both the crowd and her companions.

"What was that about?" Sayaka exclaimed, as Madoka and Nagisa helped her up.

"I'm going to have a word with her." Mami said, taking off after her.

* * *

Mami managed to catch up with Kyoko. Fortunately, she hadn't gone too far away.

"Kyoko! What the heck was that?!"

"Winning the tournament." Kyoko said. She didn't turn around, and instead kept walking away. "That was the objective, wasn't it? Now we have money for the train."

"It's more than that, I know."

"What the _hell_ do you know?! What the hell does some set-for-life rich heiress know?!" Kyoko rounded on her.

Mami winced, but pressed forward. "I _know_ when somethings bothering you! I _know_ that we have a huge burden placed on our shoulders. I _know_ arguing like this only makes it harder to bear. Now please tell me. What's wrong?"

Kyoko paused. She clenched her fists. "Why did it have to be her?"

"What?"

"Why did it have to be her? Why did the Keyblade have to choose some stupid, spoiled, sheltered, milquetoast, little girl?"

"Kyoko..."

"This dumb girl becomes the chosen one, to save the world from darkness, and then she gets to have her family back! Like nothing ever fuckin' happened."

Realization struck Mami. Her joking. An effort to cope. "_That's_ what this is about."

"_Sayaka too_! Her family were turned into Heartless as well. She gets to have them back as well, as if none of this crap even happened. But not there rest of us! You know, when Ramuh talked about restoring those who were lost, I thought, for a while, that I might be able to see them again. I could talk to my mom and dad. I could hug Momo. But then at the train station, I remembered. I tried to put it out of my mind. Make some jokes, play along. But then, I overheard what Madoka and Sayaka were saying to each other at the tournament, and it all came crashing back." Kyoko paused and clenched her fists while taking a deep breath. "My dad went crazy and killed my mom and my sister. He tried to kill me, and when he failed, he killed himself. Your parents died in a car crash due to some dumbass drunk driver. Nagisa's mom had cancer and her dad walked out on her. They didn't turn into Heartless, they're just fuckin' dead in the ground. Well, I guess Nagisa's dad isn't. But she wouldn't want to see that shitstain again anyways. And yet Madoka's the one who gets to see her smiling family again!"

"Kyoko, it's not fair to blame-"

"_Fuck you!_ You think I don't know that?! I do! She didn't ask for any of this shit. None of us did. She saw family die in front of her. Just like I did. Just like you did. Just like Nagisa did. I know it ain't fair! The world ain't fair! _I fucking know that!_ But… I-I can't help it. I just look at her. Rich, loving family, happy life… and… and…" Kyoko's voice began to crack. "And she gets to just... just... undo everything that happened and g-get all t-that back. While I..."

"Kyoko..."

Kyoko suddenly cried out and punched a wall so hard she made a crack in the concrete. She was gritting her teeth, and a knot formed in Mami's stomach as she saw Kyoko's knuckles bleeding.

"No. No more tears."

"It's okay. We've been through a lot."

"I don't need your pity."

"I'm not pitying you. It's been a crazy day. If you need to let it out-"

They both paused as they heard the sound of shuffling feet behind them. They both turned and saw Madoka rounding the corner. Kyoko's eyes widened. She looked like she was about to say something, but instead turned around.

"Where are you going?"

"For a walk. Need some time to myself. I'll meet up with you later." Kyoko leaped up on top of one of the buildings and took off.

"No! Kyoko, wait!" But she was already gone. She turned back to Madoka.

"I… got worried. So I followed. And then I heard your argument."

Mami placed her hands on Madoka's shoulders. "You don't need to feel bad. Kyoko-"

"No!" Madoka removed Mami's hands. "I was selfish! I wasn't thinking about you guys!"

"Madoka. Don't do this to yourself. It's not your fault. I don't blame you. I'm sure Kyoko doesn't really blame you as well. I mean it." Mami hoped she meant it. "She needs some space. I say we let her have it. We all need some time to relax."

"Like how?"

Mami thought back to the Munny they had been given. Her stomach growled. "Howabout dinner?"

* * *

_ The unfairness of loss in KH is an interesting concept to explore and write about? What does everyone think?_

_Again, thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding!_

_~Dragonexx_


	15. A Flower Blooms in the Netherworld

**Chapter 15**

**A Flower Blooms in the Netherworld**

* * *

It proved to be somewhat slow going through the city. Rubble and raining fire aside, the Heartless were omnipresent. Homura lamented that she was so weakened away from Mitakihara, else she could have easily eliminated these Heartless. As it stood, she was forced to ally herself with these strangers.

And Madoka was nowhere to be seen.

Every time there was an explosion, or the ground shook, or a building collapsed, more knots formed in her stomach, and her breathing hastened. She was so weak now, and this city was falling apart. Madoka was in peril and she was failing her!

Why had she been so slow to respond? It had started with the dream, but she had dismissed it to go play dress-up in a castle. Then there had been the attack on her island. She could have ended that fight in a second but she instead felt the need to _toy _with the invaders. Then she didn't stick around after she checked on Madoka and missed everything! By the time she got back on track, it had been too late. And when the problem was right in front of her, instead of keeping Madoka close, she had warped her away so she could go throw a tantrum. What the hell was she even doing here?

"_You've got that right." _Homura heard the voice of Homulilly. _"Did you really think you could protect her? Homura, the sad joke of a girl thought she could protect somebody. You failed, like you always do. You really should have ended it that day. Madoka was worse off the moment you entered her life."_

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to face Homulilly. Instead, she was surprised to see Sora.

"What is it?"

"Homura? I know it looks bad, but you can't lose hope. I _know_ you'll find her."

"How? You don't even know me."

"Maybe not, but I understand what you're feeling. A lot. I've lost friends too, and spent so much time searching for them. It was hard, and I almost gave up hope several times. But in the end, we've been reunited. Whatever happens, you have to see this through. And for what it's worth, I believe you'll find each other in the end."

"Yeah Homura! Madoka's countin' on ya'!" Goofy said.

The words felt… strange. Unreal. She wasn't sure what to think. Fortunately, she was interrupted by a female sounding scream.

"_Help!_"

"Madoka?!" The scream was coming from a burning building nearby. She could see Heartless pouring into the place. Homura immediately rushed towards the building, firing a shot that blasted the shadows gathering at the entrance.

As she entered, she paused, disappointed. The cry had come from a family. A father, mother, and daughter were surrounded by Heartless, cowering behind an overturned couch. She looked around the room, but it was obvious Madoka wasn't here. She sighed.

"What are you just standing there for?" She heard Sora behind her. She turned, and saw a jet of water shoot forwards as if from a fire hose and slam a Heartless into a wall, while simultaneously extinguishing several fires.

The Heartless immediately turned to Sora as he leaped into action. "I'll draw their attention, you keep those people out of harms way!"

"Y-yes." Homura said. All confusion exited her mind. This was a fight. She knew that. Everything else could be shoved aside, at least for the moment. She immediately shot an arrow at the Heartless nearest to the civilians destroying it, and then leaped forward, kicking away the next one to approach and then shooting it.

A calm rhythm fell over her. Use _slow _on the Heartless that drew too close, while picking off the farther targets. The Heartless were barely more than animals, much like many familiars tended to be. Their tactics were simple, repetitive.

Sora, for his part, practically flew across the battlefield. She noticed a similar aura to Madoka's as he moved rapidly, though his was blue. His fighting style also differed from Madoka's as he didn't rely on this power as much as her. Instead, he mixed magical attacks in with Keyblade swings, even combining the two. He would dash forwards, cutting his way into the middle of a crowd of Heartless, before causing fireballs to spin around him, engulfing all those too slow to get out of the way. Then, with them scattered, he directed the flames onto his keyblade, and then hurled it, a spinning disk of fiery death.

While the Keyblade was separated from Sora, Goofy leaped behind him, intercepting attacks to Sora's back. He then struck, battering the Heartless into a wall, where a bolt of lightning from Donald's staff eliminated them.

Then, as the Keyblade returned to Sora, Goofy tossed his shield towards him, which Sora struck like it was a baseball, sending it bouncing around through another crowd of Heartless like this was some sort of pinball machine. When it reached the center, Donald held up his staff and shouted "_Aero_!"

A miniature tornado formed, sucking the Heartless into it, and mercilessly battering them with both the winds and Goofy's shield. Once the Heartless were defeated, a gesture from Donald's staff blew Goofy's shield back into his hands. The trio simply nodded to each other.

They were a well-oiled machine. Watching them fight like that, Homura was reminded of her early days, fighting alongside Mami and Madoka. Or even better when _all five of them_ were facing the Nightmares and…

Homura abruptly ended that line of thought. She wasn't part of a team. She never truly had been. It was a lie. It always was. Trust and cooperation were always a lie. A veneer over selfishness. She was only with them so she could find Madoka. They were looking for someone as well. They wanted something from her. She wanted something from them. An alliance of convenience. A transaction. Nothing more.

There was a shuffling sound behind her. Homura jolted, only to remember the family she was protecting. They were starting to make their way to the exit, escorted by Sora. These must have been the people Sora was looking for.

She walked of the house after them, to hear Sora speaking.

"There's a safe area in town square that the guards are setting up. Be careful on your way there."

"Alright!" The father said. "Thank you. C'mon, lets get going."

The daughter however, looked over at Homura. She then ran over to the front of her house where a flowerpot had been knocked over. She picked something out of it and rushed over to Homura, a big smile on her face. She handed her a blue flower, a hyacinth.

"I don't have much left, but this is thanks for saving me! You were amazing! I hope I can be brave like you some day!"

_Brave like me?_

Homura said nothing as she took the flower, simply staring blankly at it. The family took off around a corner.

Eventually, she placed the flower in her time-shield and turned to Sora, Donald and Goofy. They were looking out over a balcony, surveying the city. She looked back to where the family had been, and then back to them.

"Where is he?" Goofy asked.

"Dunno, it's a big city." Sora replied.

"Why did you let them go like that?" Homura asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Weren't they the ones you were searching for?" She asked.

"No?"

"But then..." Homura asked. "Why go to all this trouble to rescue them?"

"They were in danger. Why else?" Sora answered with a grin. "That's what heroes do! Like Herc!"

"And us to now!" Goofy said. "We ain't junior heroes no more."

"Herc?"

"Hercules." Donald clarified.

"Yeah, he's the one I'm looking for. Herc once lost his strength, but then he gained it back. _I_ used to be a lot stronger than I am now, but some thing happened to me, and I'm weaker. I was hoping Herc could help me with that. There are a lot of people who are depending on me, and I don't want them to suffer. But, now… " Sora suddenly looked glum. "Now, I don't know if I can still do it like I am."

Homura was about to reply, when she heard a sudden laughter behind her.

"Aww… now if that ain't music to my ears." A male voice said.

She turned to see a dark portal. Out of the vortex emerged a strange creature. It looked like an anthropomorphic fat cat wearing a weird looking jumpsuit. He kind of resembled Donald and Goofy.

"Pete!"

"_Well, if it isn't Sora and the Kings pawns. And extras._" Said another voice. This one female. It echoed, and made Homura's skin crawl. Out of the portal stepped a demonic looking woman. She had no hair, instead having black scales and horns that framed her sickly green face. Her eyes were yellow, with slit pupils. She wore a flowing black robe and carried a staff with a green gemstone at the tip.

Sora immediately dropped into a fighting stance, as did Donald and Goofy.

"Maleficent! Pete! Are you the reason the Heartless are here?"

_This_ was Maleficent? When Xehanort had called her an evil fairy, this wasn't what she had pictured in her head, though she did still look suitably sinister.

"_Certainly not!_" Maleficent dismissed.

Pete looked over Sora and sneered. "Not sure about the other punks but the key kid is definitely weaker now! I say we finish him off while we can!"

Maleficent rolled her eyes. "_Waste no time with the boy, he is inconsequential. We have a far more pressing matter to attend to._"

Pete looked confused for a second, before confidently crossing his arms. "Oh! We gots ta' find that black box!"

"_Be silent you fool!_" Maleficent snapped and Pete flinched. "_As for you all. We shall meet again… when I have time for such trifles."_

She turned to leave, only to be interrupted.

"Maleficent! Answer me!" Homura said. "What you you know of Madoka!"

"_You dare to make demands of me, girl?_" Maleficent said, sounding incredulous at the thought. She then grinned. "_Though, now that you mention it. I encountered a Madoka Kaname not too long ago. A foolhardy, insubordinate girl. She got what she deserved._"

"Yeah!" Pete laughed. "Last I saw that brat was about to be torn apart by Heartless! Serves her right!"

He didn't laugh for long, as an arrow of purple flame hit him head on, sending him flying into a wall hard enough to crack it. He slid to the ground with a groan of pain.

"_You hurt Madoka! Where is she?! What have you done with her?!_" Her voice resonated as she aimed another shot at Maleficent. The evil fairy gestured lazily with her staff, and the purple flames were intercepted by green ones.

"_Watch yourself child. You know not who you are dealing with._"

Homura didn't care. Her vision was filling with red. She had hurt Madoka. She would _die_ for that. She gave an inhuman yell. A glowing blue shimmering arm extended from Homura's body, reaching for Maleficent. She responded by slamming the base of her staff against the ground. A mass of thorny vines and branches emerged from the earth and intercepted the hand. They then jerked and pulled the hand, and Homura along with it.

She was slammed into the guard over the balcony. Homura ignored the pain from the impact, and forced herself up, bow pointed at Maleficent. However, she was already prepared, her staff pointed at Homura.

"_Lightning strike at my behest! Devastate this insolent pest!"_

A blindingly bright flash of lightning erupted from the tip of Maleficent's staff, blasting Homura through the guard and out over the city. She was sent flying, to come crashing through the window of a building, just in time for a quake to cause the structure to collapse.

* * *

"_Le Grand Bistrot. _Sounds fancy!" Sayaka said.

"Looks fancy." Madoka observed.

"Tastes fancy too. And I'm not just saying that because we did some part time work there." Pence said.

"I dunno." Mami said. "It looks pricey."

"Hey, you have all that prize money. Should be easy." Hayner said.

"Yeah… it's just..." Mami said.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Well, you gave up your place in the tournament for us." Mami said. "We only really need money for the train. It doesn't feel right to just spend it frivolously like this. I'd rather give you the extra."

"Hey, don't worry about it. You earned it. There's always next time anyways." Hayner said. "Besides, I'd feel worse if I'd just left you guys stranded."

"I guess…"

"He said it was fine. Why deny their generosity?" Nagisa added.

"If you really feel you need to pay us back, then you can treat us to dinner! Besides, you all look like you really need it!" Olette suggested.

Madoka's stomach growled. She recalled that the only thing she had eaten was a small sandwich in the morning. All that fighting had worked up an appetite.

"Yeah! C'mon Mami!"

Mami smiled gently. "Well, I suppose it can't be helped."

Everyone cheered. They sat down at a table outside the restaurant, and a waitress came over with menus.

Madoka looked it over, and was amazed at how high class the menu items were. Her family was fairly well off and could have afforded things like this without trouble. However, they preferred to eat at home because her fathers cooking was incredible and healthier, only really eating out when convenience was necessary.

Eventually, she made up her mind and ordered the crab bisque. Sayaka chose the bouillabaisse. Mami the stuffed quail and Nagisa the caprese salad. After Hayner, Pence, and Olette placed their orders, the group leaned back, finally relaxing, only to hear a voice.

"Room for one more?" Kyoko was back. Madoka winced as she saw that she had bandages with red stains wrapped around part of her left hand.

"Kyoko!" Mami said. "You're back?!"

"You must not know me as well as you think if you thought I was going to miss out on food." She said. She looked over towards Madoka, and then awkwardly looked away before taking a seat. She ordered the filet mignon poêlé. "Besides, beats being chased by weird fans. Had enough of being asked to pose for pictures with a bunch of fat otaku."

Kyoko turned to Hayner. "So. What made you want to help us in the first place? Are you in the business of going out of your way for complete strangers?"

"Not really." Hayner said. "To be honest, it was when we saw Madoka's Keyblade. We overheard that you needed help and we could just ignore that. We've met some other Keyblade wielders before."

"You know about other Keyblade-wielders?" Mami asked.

"Well, just a couple. Sora and Mickey. I don't know the whole story about what's going on with them, but it seems very important, so I wasn't going to let another one get stuck."

"Right..." Kyoko looked back to Madoka, and when their eyes met, she awkwardly looked away again. She couldn't let this keep going on.

Madoka took a deep breath. "Kyoko? Can we talk?"

"What?"

"Uh… just… come with me?" Madoka stood up and gestured for Kyoko to follow.

* * *

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Madoka bowed.

Kyoko sighed. "It's not your fault."

"But I wasn't thinking about you! I was so happy that I could get Mama and Papa and Tatsuya and everyone back that I wasn't thinking about your losses! You, or Mami, or Nagisa. I was ignoring all of you. I was being selfish and sp-"

"No, you weren't. You're fine… You… You're... Dammit! I'm not good at this stuff!" Kyoko said. Madoka had already been through her share of trauma, as the scar on her face demonstrated. She didn't like how things were going but she also really didn't want to add any more trouble on top of that. "Look. I miss my family, yeah. As do Nagisa and Mami. But that doesn't mean we don't want you or Sayaka to get yours back, if you can. I'd rather you did. It's not fair, but the worlds not-"

"I'm sorry!"

"Again with the apologizing. Jeez! Grow a spine!" Kyoko shot back.

"I'm…" Madoka trailed off.

"Damn, I didn't mean it like that." She said, her eyes widening. Damn it all, why was this so hard? She scratched her head awkwardly, before tentatively placing her hand on Madoka's shoulder. "Look. It's been a hell of a day. Everybody's high strung and stressed out. I don't know how were going to save a World, but what I do know is that we can't do it when were starving to death! We've been out long enough. The foods probably ready! Sound good?"

Madoka laughed a bit, though it sounded a little forced. "Yeah. That sounds good."

* * *

_So, this is the first time I've really tried writing something like this, dealing with loss (especially the unequal forms of loss in Kingdom Hearts). What does everyone think?_

___Again, thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding!___

__~Dragonexx__


	16. A Scarlet Dream

**Chapter 16**

**A Scarlet Dream**

* * *

The bed was soft, but Madoka was softer next to her. Illuminated by the moonlight, Homura could see her eyes were closed, but there was a gentle smile on her face. Homura simply lay there, basking in her presence. Here, all her fears could be left behind, melting away.

"Hey Madoka, are you still awake?"

"Yeah. Sleeping in the same bed is a bit embarrassing, huh?"

"I can sleep on the floor." Homura offered without hesitation.

"No, this is nice." Madoka snuggled up even tighter. "Plus, you're so warm..."

Homura wrapped an arm around her while Madoka giggled. "So are you, Madoka."

The two of them simply lay there, enjoying the moment. Eventually however, Homura's curiosity got the better of her.

"Hey, Madoka? Why did you invite me to spend the night?"

"When you told me you lived alone, you seemed so… well… lonely."

"I… did?"

"So I wanted to spend a lot more time with you."

"Madoka… um… thank you." Homura replied.

"You shouldn't. I'm just happy seeing you happy."

"Me too."

"Can I sleep over at your place, next time?"

"S-sure, but there's not much there, if your okay with that."

"That's not true." Madoka leaned forwards, smiling. "You're there."

"Madoka..." Homura's heart swelled with emotion. She was at a loss for words. What did she say next? Thankfully, Madoka stepped in.

"I'm kinda tired now."

"Me too. I think I'll sleep well tonight. Good night Madoka."

"Good night Homura." Madoka leaned forwards, resting on Homura's chest, arms wrapped around her. She was quickly asleep, breathing softly.

Homura, for her part, lay there, appreciating the moment. Madoka was at peace. This… was what it was all for. She could do this. She would save her. No matter how many timelines it would take. For moments like these. Where Madoka could be happy. As she lay back on the pillow, she looked back outside at the Moon.

She saw a shadow began to fill it. That was odd, there was never a lunar eclipse at this time… Then Homura saw the stars begin to fade from the sky, one by one. The lights of Mitakihara were extinguished and everything outside became blackness.

The room began to darken as well, everything vanishing from sight. She then felt herself sinking, falling into darkness. She looked around, and could see that Madoka was falling as well. Her eyes were closed, and she looked peaceful, but she was still falling, tumbling through the darkness. Homura dove after her, desperately trying to catch up.

All around them, there was nothingness, just an empty black void and the wind whipping around them. The only light came from Madoka as she seemed to glow in the shadows.

"Don't worry Madoka! I'm coming!"

She was getting closer now. Almost within reach. Homura held out her hands, attempting to reach her. As she approached, she desperately grabbed at her. Her hands, her legs, her hair, her shirt, anything to get a hold. Homura's first few attempts were clumsy, Madoka slipping out of her grip. Finally, however, she managed to get a grip on Madoka's hand, only for a sudden gust of wind to tear them apart.

Homura stopped moving, trapped, while she watched the a red claw emerge from the gloom and impale Madoka upon it's talons. Homura screamed and screamed, but she was powerless to do anything. Her movements became stiff, painful. Her throat became raw, her eyes began to blur, but she couldn't reach Madoka. Blood flowed from Madoka's wounds, staining her clothes, her hair, her skin. Soon she was utterly soaked in her own blood. It dripped down the length of the claw.

"No! Madoka!" Homura screamed. But it was pointless, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't reach her. And then the hand began to sink, dragging Madoka down into the darkness...

* * *

Slowly, Homura returned to consciousness. Everything was in pain. When she tried to move her hands felt slick. It was blood. Her blood. She was covered in it. She couldn't feel her legs. One eye was swollen shut. Her hair was matted down with blood. Even breathing hurt. When she tried to pull herself out, her head exploded in agony, and she almost vomited as her sense of balance went haywire.

Her vision was blurry, but she see that she was pinned beneath a large piece of rubble. It was also hot, and growing hotter. The building was on fire, and the blaze was steadily drawing closer to her.

She heard footsteps, and then in her blurry vision saw bare feet standing before her.

"H-help." Homura said weakly.

"Oh, but what would be the point?"

Homura recognized that voice. She grimaced as she saw Homulilly kneel in front of her.

"Madoka's dead."

Homura's body went cold. "No! She can't be!"

Homulilly leaned over, against the rocks pinning Homura down. She caressed Homura's cheek, before running her bony hands across the wounds on her head, inflicting piercing agony upon Homura. Her vision splintered as she was helpless to do anything but whimper.

"Why delude yourself? You never had a chance. You acknowledged it yourself. You couldn't protect her forever. Someday it would all come crashing down. But you had to live in denial. Ignore your epiphany. And now she's dead. You failed, like everything else in your worthless life. But what else can you expect?"

"No!" Homura rasped as she stretched out a blood-stained hand and tried to pull her self free. Agony wracked her, but she needed to get free. "Madoka!"

"Still trying? It's over. Madoka is lost due to your own failures. You're dying as well. Why keep flailing like this? At least take it with some dignity. But then again, you never deserved that either."

Homura tried to ignore her, but then she screamed in pain as Homulilly's foot slammed down on her head. She twisted her feet, inflicting more agony on Homura, while she giggled.

"I can see it now! Your grave: '_Here lies Homura, the good-for-nothing. She died as she lived, a waste of space. Her life was a joke. And not even a funny one.' _But I can see that you aren't heeding my words. You never learn do you?" Homulilly shrugged and began to walk away. "Well, not like it make a difference anyways. Story of your life huh?"

Homura was left alone, to struggle in futility against the massive weight pinning her down, while the fires drew ever closer...

* * *

"Homura?! Homura?!" Sora rushed through the city, becoming increasingly panicked. Where was she? He had been temporarily blinded from the flash of lightning and couldn't see where Homura had landed. And now she was probably hurt, and in severe danger from the Heartless.

He remembered her face, the severe bags and those eyes. They were so full of sadness. She had lost someone. Just like he had lost Riku and Kairi. She was on the same journey he once was. He understood her pain, what she was going through. He couldn't fail her.

But now he was so weak. He had failed his exam for the Mark of Mastery and was left behind, his strength gone. He was weaker now, and the people who depended on him were in danger because of it.

Goofy and Donald approached him from different streets, both bearing the same disappointed expression.

"I guess you guys haven't had any luck either?" Sora said. The both shook their heads.

"Well, we'll just have to search harder." He said. He then heard a humming sound. Fortunately he still had his reflexes. Sora turned and raised Kingdom Key, intercepting a series of red bolts. He instantly recognized what it meant.

"_Finally_, that got your attention." A man in a black coat leaped down from a nearby rooftop. He had black hair with streaks of gray, multiple scars, and an eye-patch on his face. His one eye was yellow. Despite his laid back demeanor, an aura of menace and unease surrounded him.

"Xigbar!"

"Sora! See? I can say names too!"

"Get out of the way, we don't have time for you!"

"Go away!" Donald shouted.

"Yeah! No Organization!" Goofy added.

"Oh, is that so? How rude!" Xigbar said with a mocking grin. "So tell me, do you think your optimizing your schedule properly?"

"What?" Donald asked in confusion.

"Just say what you mean!"

"Oh but I did. No good will ever come of putting others before yourself."

"Oh yeah! Tell that to Herc!" Sora shot back. "He's a hero! He always thinks of others before himself!"

"As if! A pretty boy who has friends in high places. Fancy and all, but tricks like that don't fly for your average joe."

"What do you know? You weren't even there when he saved Meg from the underworld! If you were, you'd admire his courage!"

"I don't admire someone leaping into danger if it means someone else might have to jump in and save them. It seems so many are making mistakes like that these days..." Xigbar shrugged.

Sora flinched at those words. Did he know about Homura?

"You're all just lining up to lose out. Dooming others to take the fall with ya'. It's a fools game you get suckered into, and makes you lose sight of what's really important. Oh, and spare me the usual party line. Yeah, hearts are powerful when their connected. But if you put too much of that power in one place, then those hearts might end up breaking." Xigbar sneered. "But then again… you don't have any choice but to follow this sweet little trail of breadcrumbs, do you? And at the end you'll finally realize what destiny has in store for you. In fact, your reward might be right around the corner. You're so close!"

He laughed as he walked away, a Dark Corridor opening up to take him in.

Sora shoulder sagged as the confrontation ended. Once, he was able to go toe to toe with Xigbar and even worse than that and come out on top. And now he was helpless to do anything but take his taunts. He couldn't stop Maleficent from hurting Homura either. Was he really just wasting his time?

"Don't let him getcha' down, Sora." Goofy said. "He's just tryin' to mess with ya'. All those people you've helped along the way are real grateful. They don't think you've wasted your time, and ain't that what matters?"

Sora considered Goofy's words, and took a deep breath. He was right. He had come too far to give up now. Weak or not, he'd have to see this through to the end.

"Right, now let's keep searching."

* * *

"Hey, what are you stopping for?" A voice said.

"I heard voices inside there. I think there might be someone trapped inside."

There was the sound of shifting rubble, and then light entered the room.

"Yeah, you were right! There's a girl trapped beneath those rocks!"

Homura's vision was blurry, but she could make out several figures standing at the entrance to the building.

"Argh! The fire's too hot! It's blocking our way!"

"There's a fountain nearby. Grab some buckets and hurry!"

"Right!"

The figures vanished, leaving Homura alone again. What was happening?

It wasn't long before she heard rapid footsteps approaching. There were several splashes of water, and the temperature began to go down.

"Good, they're out of the way!" She heard more footsteps, and saw several blurry figures draw closer. "Don't worry, we'll have you out in no time!"

What was happening? What did these people want with her? She wasn't worth anything to them, was she?

"Alright, put your legs into it!" There was the sounds of grunting, and then disappointment.

"Dammit. It's too heavy!"

"What are we going to do?"

"I know! Come with me!"

The footsteps faded off into the distance. They were leaving. Whatever they wanted, they didn't find it with her. Where had they gone? Her vision was too blurry to make anything out. Whatever, it wasn't that important. She was so tired...

Homura felt a gust of wind, and heard the sound of wings flapping. Then, more footsteps.

"Everyone stand back!" A voice shouted. Suddenly, it was as if the great weight had been removed from her. She felt a pair of strong arms lifting her up and carrying her off. Was she dying? Was it finally over?

"Oh no! Homura!"

"Donald, hurry!"

Those voices sounded familiar.

"_Cura_!" Her vision was filled with a bright green light. Suddenly, she felt… better. She could feel her legs. Her pain was gone. She could see clearly again. The fog that had settled over her mind was lifted and she was aware of where she was. She took in a deep breath.

She realized she was being held, and when she moved, he set her down.

"What happened?"

"Maleficent blasted you away, and then the building dropped on you!" Sora explained. "It looks like Herc pulled you out though!"

Homura turned to the man. This was Hercules? She'd read several of the myths, and this was not what she had expected him to look like. Regardless, she bowed.

"Thank you."

"Hey, don't thank me. Thank them." Hercules pointed to the group of civilians nearby who were admiring a winged horse that could only be Pegasus. "They were the ones who cleared away the entrance and extinguished the fires. They only came to find me when the stones pinning you down were too heavy for them to lift."

At those words, Homura paused. Why? What value was she to them? She remembered Sora's words: _"They were in danger, why else? That's what heroes do!"._

They reminded her of Madoka. But... Madoka was...

Homura placed her fingers to her forehead, only to flinch when she realized that the were still bloodstained. She was still covered in her own blood.

"Oh! I've got this!" Sora said, raising his Keyblade.

"What?"

"_Water_!" Before Homura could react, a massive deluge of water came down on her, soaking her thoroughly.

"Sora! What'd you do that for!" Squawked Donald.

"Well, she was all messy. I thought I could help!"

When she cleared her eyes she saw that the blood and dirt had indeed been washed off of her. Unorthodox, but effective. She ran her hands through her hair, using magic to dry it off. Her Puella Magi uniform was enchanted, it would dry itself off on it's own after a bit.

She then heard the clip clop of hooves. At first, she thought it was Pegasus, but it was coming from a completely different direction.

She turned to see a woman in a purple dress walking alongside a short and fat Satyr.

"Meg! Phil!"

"Looking good, wonder boy!" The woman, Meg, said flirtatiously.

"How's it goin' champ?" Phil asked Hercules.

"We just saved this girl from a burning building. You know, the usual. So, how's the evacuation going?"

"Right on schedule. We've gotten everyone we can to the town square where they're safe!"

Hercules breathed in relief. "That's good. Now, you need to get to safety."

"What, are ya' kiddin' me?" Phil shouted, angrily shaking his fists. "Three words! Those things are chumps!"

Homura tilted her head. _Wait… isn't that four-_

"I'd totally let 'em have it. Show off for the ladies!" He then flexed and winked at Homura, who didn't quite get it, but was revolted all the same.

* * *

_Just what is that old coot up to? _Xigbar watched the proceedings from the shadows of a nearby building, musing on what he had observed. Xehanort had been disappearing randomly in recent times, beyond his ability to keep track of.

Apparently, the fruits of his efforts had been this girl. But where had she come from? What was so special about her? Her affinity for time magic? Perhaps, something like that _would_ be useful. But he had the feeling that it was more than that. That little display against Maleficent hinted at there being something more to her than a first impression would give.

But what?

Well, time to do a little research.

A quick warp carried him to some nearby rooftops. Good, they still hadn't noticed him. He grinned and snapped his fingers. A crackling dark cloud appeared over the area.

"Eurystheus! Get to work!"

* * *

There was a sudden rumbling in the air. Homura looked around to see a dark cloud appear over the town square. People quickly moved out of the way as a gigantic jar came crashing down, demolishing several pillars and scattering debris everywhere. It resembled one of the old greek vases, and depicted on it was a man wrestling with a lion. As she watched, the image came to life, and the lion slashed the man with it's claws, throwing him to the ground. Then it _emerged from the vase_, roaring. It's eyes glowed yellow. A Heartless.

The crowd screamed, and began to run for their lives.

"Are you kiddin' me?! That things huge!" Phil shouted.

"What happened to _'Those things are chumps?'_" Hercules asked with a grin?

"Two words! I've got you!" Phil replied as he and Meg leaped upon Pegasus.

"You guys guide everyone to another safe area! Sora, Donald, Goofy, Homura! With me!"

"Right!" The five of them rushed towards the battle as the lion roared.

* * *

____As always, thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding!____

_~Dragonexx_


	17. Labor of Loathing

**Chapter 17**

**Labor of Loathing**

* * *

Homura missed her arsenal. When her shield returned to her, she was disappointed to find it empty. She had built up that arsenal over multiple timelines, a stockpile of weapons enough to outfit an entire army. And now it was gone. She couldn't even stop time either, her powers kept changing. There had been something so comforting and satisfying about the knowledge that she could simply pull all sorts of deadly weapons at a moments notice. It made so many problems so much simpler. A rocket launcher would have been so good right about now. Or a machine gun, or a string of grenades…

But that was enough of that. If nothing else, she could lose herself in the fight.

Hercules charged towards the lion and, with a solid punch, sent the Heartless flying across the quickly rose up from where it lay and charged, only to be barraged by a wave of flames from Sora's keyblade and arrows from Homura. Hercules then leaped towards the creature and lifted it up in a bear hug around the neck. The Heartless dispersed into wisps of darkness as he squeezed.

The image on the vase shifted, showing a man aiming a sling at a flock of birds. Almost immediately, the birds in the painting began to animate and tear the man to pieces. They then emerged, becoming a flock of vicious Heartless birds.

The creatures immediately flapped their wings, and a barrage of razor sharp feathers rained down. Homura ducked for cover behind a chunk of debris, hearing the metallic shounding _shink!_ and the crack of stone as the feathers embedded themselves in the marble.

She quickly rose from her cover, skills gained from years of fighting enabling her to rapidly assess the situation. Goofy had increased the size of his shield, and he, Sora, and Donald were taking cover beneath it, avoiding the barrage of razor sharp feathers. Hercules wasn't too bothered, the feathers simply bouncing off of him. However he was unable to get at the birds. They were too fast, dodging out of the way of his punches. He tried to hurl some debris at them, but they likewise dodged.

Homura fired a shot from her bow which struck one of the Heartless and exploding. The others moved quickly out of the way, and returned fire, forcing Homura to take cover again, though not before receiving a cut on the forehead and arm.

Homura moved, staying behind cover and out of sight, while the birds continued to fire at her former position. From a small opening, Homura focused her magic, the gears of her time shield whirring.

"_Slow_." The spell took effect. She could see within her vision one of the bird be surrounded with the imagery of slowing clocks. The creatures movements became sluggish.

But only one. Dammit, there were too many, just slowing one wouldn't help much. She looked at her time shield. If her abilities were different, then now was as good a time as any to put them to the test.

She activated it, but instead when she saw the gears begin to spin, stopped them and had them spin in the opposite direction. The words came to her "_Haste!_"

The clock imagery surrounded herself, and the world around her slowed down. The sensation was similar to when she stopped time, though, here the world was clearly still in motion, she was still capable of interacting with it. An unbidden grin came over her. She could work with this.

Homura leaped over the collapsed pillar and opened fire on the Heartless, the creatures were too slow to react to the opening shot, though they resumed retaliating. Homura weaved in between the feather shots, letting loose a volley of arrows, picking off birds by the score.

As she did so, she heard Donald squawk "_Aero!_"

The heat had been taken off of the others, and they were putting their freedom to good use. Another miniature tornado formed, sucking all the birds in together.

Sora held out his Keyblade and shouted. "_Fire_!" at the same time as Homura fired a barrage her bow. The birds were destroyed in an explosion of red and violet fires.

Time around her began to resume it's normal speed, as the spell expired. She was about to try and catch her breath, only to hear a snort from behind her and a shout.

"Homura! Look out!"

She turned just in time to see a bull-shaped Heartless charging towards her. She barely managed to duck beneath it's horns, and though she avoided being gored she was still slammed to the ground by its body, whereupon one of its hooves came crashing down upon her, trampling her.

As she finished rolling, Donald rushed over, raised his staff and shouted "_Cure!_"

Green light surrounded Homura, and the pain and injuries vanished. She looked up to see Hercules take a low stance as the bull charged towards him. When it drew close he grabbed it by the horns, sliding back and cracking the pavement from the sheer force of the clash. The bull snorted and began to push forwards, pushing Hercules along with it, causing his feet to create troughs in the stone.

"Herc!" Sora was about to rush to his aid, when Homura (to even her own surprise) grabbed his arm.

"No! He can handle himself. Get the vase!" She said, gesturing to the vase which, whatever it had depicted before, now bore a depiction of a gored and trampled man lying on the ground. "That's where they're all coming from!"

Homura opened fire on the vase with her arrows, the violet explosions leaving cracks in the surface. In response, the jar suddenly rocked, and top was opened. The head of a strange sad-looking cat-like creature emerged from inside. Around it's head was a golden laurel wreath decorated with the Heartless insignia. Homura immediately opened fire on the creatures head, only for it to duck back inside.

The image on the jar changed, becoming a depiction of two men fighting a multi headed serpent. The image moved, and the serpent dodged their swings, and then struck back, it's multiple heads ripping them to shreds and eating them.

From the top of vase a cloud of darkness formed. Out of that darkness emerged multiple snake heads, that immediately lashed out.

Homura quickly rolled to the side as a hydra head smashed into the ground where she had just been standing. She shot arrows at it as she rose to her feet, and the violet flames engulfed the snake head. It writhed as it was burned away to nothing but wisps of darkness.

Sora quickly picked up on what needed to be done. He wreathed his Keyblade in fire again and hurled it, slicing through several hydra heads, while Donald unleashed a gout of flame from his staff, burning through the rest. The heads writhed and disintegrated as a pair of spindly legs grew out from the bottom of the vase. The Heartless inside it was trying to flee.

"It can't leave the square! There are still people escaping!" Sora shouted.

As they gave chase, more hydra heads emerged, blocking Homura's attempts to hit the vase. She was forced to roll to the side, narrowly avoiding a bite from a head. She turned and shot, destroying it, only to her a thunk from behind her.

A hydra head had snuck up behind her, and would have devoured her had Goofy not jumped in the way, intercepting its bite with his shield. He grinned and gave her the thumbs up, but Homura barely noticed. _It would have devoured her had_-

"Heads up!"

She saw a shadow pass over her, and realized that it was the bull Heartless that Hercules had been wrestling with. He had hurled it directly at the vase, knocking aside the heads and smashing directly into it, creating several cracks and knocking it off balance.

Taking advantage, Homura and Sora opened fire, destroying the remaining hydra heads and setting fire to the dark cloud they were emerging from, while Donald and Goofy struck at the vase directly.

Eventually, the image changed again, this time depicting a man standing next to a three headed dog with a mane of serpents, while another man cowered in a vase. Again, the image came to life. Two heads tore into the man standing next to the dog, while the third then ripped the man out of the vase and ate him. The dog then leaped into the vase.

As it did so, the vase Heartless jumped into the air. The legs retreated inside, before the vase came crashing back to the ground. From that impact, the a shadow spread out from it, covering the entire town square.

"What _now?!"_ Sora asked.

The shadows shifted beneath her, and Homura's instincts screamed at her to _jump_. She was glad she did, because just after she did, a massive black dog head emerged from the ground, with razor sharp teeth. She aimed her bow downwards, and fired. The head retreated back into the shadows before her arrow could hit it.

She looked over to see that Sora and Goofy had also both leaped into the air as well. Sora grabbed Goofy and hurled him at the vase shield first to score a direct and powerful hit.

As she landed, she saw the shadows gather once again, and she had to roll out of the way, barely avoiding some sort of geyser of dark energy. At the same time, one of the dog heads emerged from the ground and shot a fireball out of it's mouth.

One of Homura's arrows intercepted the fireball, another explosion of red and violet flames. While she did so, Hercules rushed forwards, grabbing the head and ripping it out of the ground, where it dispersed into shadows.

She then opened fire on the vase, creating more cracks in it's surface.

The head of the Heartless peeked out, before retreating back in. The vase then leaped into the air, before crashing down towards Homura.

"_Haste!_" With the spells help she quickly dove out of the way, thankfully avoiding being crushed, though a shockwave erupted from the Heartless, sending her flying.

With her augmented speed, she turned in the air, and opened fire as the Heartless' head popped out briefly. It was a direct hit, causing the Heartless to reel back, dazed, just in time for Hercules to come charging forwards. He struck the vase with a punch so hard that it shattered, sending the Heartless within flying, to get struck in the head by Sora's Keyblade.

The strange cat-like creature hit the ground and lay still, it's body breaking apart much like the Wraith-Heartless had done so back in Mitakihara. From the mass of shadows, a gigantic glowing heart-shaped object emerged, floating off into the air and fading away, while the darkness covering the town square vanished.

"Finally, that's over." Donald said.

"Gotta say, it's good to have you guys back!" Hercules said. "Though is there a reason you guys are visiting? I'd guess it's not for the cheese and olives."

Sora immediately perked up. "Oh yeah!"

"Sounds like somebody forgot." Goofy observed.

"That's Sora!" Donald said.

"Hey, I didn't forget! I… just… took my time remembering." Sora insisted. He then turned to Hercules. "Herc? I came here so I could ask you something."

"Ask me?"

"Do you remember the last time we were together? You were feeling down and out. How'd you get your strength back? When you jumped in and saved Meg?"

"Hmm… that's a tough one. All I knew was that she was in trouble. Suddenly, I wanted to save her with all my heart, but… it's not like I could tell you how."

"Oh..." Sora said.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"All my strength's gone from me too! That's why I need you. Because I was hoping you could help. That you might have a solution or something."

"I'm sorry Sora."

The three of them looked disappointed, only to be interrupted by a sudden flash of lightning and booming thunder. Homura jumped, thinking Maleficent was nearby, but it wasn't the case, it was too far away. She looked towards Hercules, who was staring at something. She followed his gaze, to Mount Olympus in the distance, where she could see storm clouds gathering around it.

"Whats going on over there?" she asked.

"It's Hades!" Hercules said. "We have to go!"

Homura was reminded of the last part of her mission. The one she dreaded. But she would have to see this through to the end.

* * *

_Letting the others go first was _so_ worth it._ Mami thought as she sank into the bath. She needed this. It had been an absolute madhouse of a day, and a shower wasn't going to cut it. She needed to soak. Some green tea would have been especially nice but she wasn't complaining.

They had originally planned to head to the train station after dinner, but the fatigue from the day was showing. They needed rest, and so they were directed to a hotel where they could stay the night. The place was definitely on the fancy side of things, but with the prize money, it was easily paid for.

_And it was money well spent. _Mami thought, as she sank lower into the bath, letting the heat and steam loosen her up. The bathtub was large, allowing her plenty of space to stretch out.

Unbidden, her thoughts turned to the events of the day. In less than 24 hours, everything had been turned on it's head. Their home world was in ruins, everyone having been taken away and now they had strange weapons and were fighting shadow monsters.

Mami tried to put the thoughts out of her head. She wanted to focus on the bath. To relax and unwind, and let go of all the stress. But that it was clear she was going to have to confront it if she wanted to rest.

Mami sighed and held out her hands. A silver musket appeared at her command. It was strange. Before today, she couldn't recall so much as ever _touching_ a gun before, not even a toy. And now, here she was, making shots like a veteran markswoman.

The weapon felt intimately familiar to her, as if she had used it countless times. She sighted down the barrel while her hands automatically took the proper positions. All sorts of thoughts rushed through her mind. Take note of the wind. Be aware of her surroundings. Anticipate the enemy's movements. Don't shoot carelessly. Each musket had only a single shot.

The gun itself was very sturdy, enough to bash something with and still remain functional. And as she thought about that, a sequence of moves entered her mind. Strike at an enemy to knock them away, then open fire. Use recoil to step back and spin, drawing a second gun for a second shot to down them.

It was things like that. She'd never been in a fight, she couldn't recall having ever done anything more than a slap. And now here she was calling out tactical orders like destroying a bridge, or to retreat from battle, or to focus fire, with confidence, like she had done it all before.

They listened to her as well. Which gave her an uneasy sense of responsibility. True she was the oldest among them, it so was her responsibility to ensure their well being. But why did this feel so familiar? An odd sensation of _Déjà Vu_.

It also felt like there was more to this than what she had seen so far. Ramuh had explained where Crystal Clarity had come from. But what about everyone else's weapons? She lifted the gun again and ran her hands down it's length. She found that she knew every detail about the weapon, from the bullet to the powder, and the gears and hammer. But where had that knowledge come from?

Her thoughts turned to Madoka. Besides the Keyblade, there was that glowing aura of pink energy that surrounded her, allowing her to perform amazing feats of acrobatics and combat. She also summoned Ramuh. In addition to her cutlasses, Sayaka could heal rapidly from even severe injuries.

Mami had the feeling that there was more to her own abilities than what she had seen. Like she hadn't even gotten to the core of what they could do. But how did she use them? Madoka's aura had come from nearly falling into a crowd of Heartless. Sayaka had almost burned to death. Ramuh had been summoned just as Homura was tearing the world apart.

She blanched at the thought of these things and the possible implications. It was looking to be a very dangerous journey, and they would need all the magical powers they could get. Was desperation, trauma, and near-death experiences the way to discover them though?

Mami sighed. She felt like the most well-off member of the group. The deaths of her parents had been so long ago that the pain had faded. She missed them, yes, but she supposed that she would move on after a while. Their deaths hadn't been as despair filled as Kyoko's family, and she hadn't been forced to watch them waste away both physically and mentally like Nagisa. Likewise, their deaths weren't as recent and violent as Madoka's and Sayaka's families.

And now, she had Kyoko and Nagisa with her. They had their arguments and disagreements of course, but it was obvious that they were better off together. Living with them, Mami had been the happiest she could ever remember in a long time.

Mami found herself yawning. She really did need her sleep. There were a lot of things she didn't know, but they were meeting with a wizard tomorrow. A wizard who was also a retired Keyblade Master. Yen Sid would definitely be able to explain things, and provide them with a clear course of action.

She had relaxed in the bath enough. She was clean. She emerged, dried herself off, and donned a robe before exiting the bathroom.

Outside, she looked at the others. Nagisa was in one bed, while Madoka was in the other. Kyoko was fast asleep on the couch.

Sayaka, however, was sitting in a chair, looking out the window. She looked wistful and pensive, which was unlike her.

"Sayaka?"

"This really is a completely different world, isn't it?"

"Well, yes. What do you mean?"

"They look the same as we do, act the same, yet, there it is, right there." Sayaka said, gesturing to the sky. Mami got what she meant. The entire time they had been here, the sun had not changed position in the sky. It was locked in a perpetual sunset.

"Giant monsters, explosions, car chases, ancient prophecies. It's like I went to sleep normally, but woke up in an action movie. You'd think all that would hammer the message, but it's the sun that makes it sink in. This is all real, isn't it?"

"Are you okay?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure. Like, I know my parents are gone. I can get them back, but..." Sayaka paused, her hands suddenly gripping the chair hard. After a moment, she took a deep breath and began to relax. "I… just don't know what to feel."

"It's been an emotional roller coaster of a day." Mami said as she leaned forwards, placing her hand on Sayaka's shoulders. "Like I said with Kyoko, if you need to let it out, feel free to."

Sayaka embraced Mami. "Thanks, but I've got it."

"Sayaka? You don't need to hold it in. We've all been through a lot."

"I know, that's why. It's for her sake." Sayaka turned towards the sleeping Madoka.

"How so?"

"She's… really struggling to hold it together. If I give in… then she'll have it way worse. I don't want to do that to her. She's already has it hard enough."

Mami paused, remembering Madoka's scars, and how she had clearly been crying earlier. She understood, and smiled at Sayaka. "Alright. But if you ever need a moment, just know I'm here."

"Thank you."

"Now, we really should be getting to bed." Mami said. She climbed into the bed with Nagisa, who was fast asleep and muttering about looking for cheese.

* * *

Madoka had been facing away, but she had still overheard the conversation.

As Sayaka climbed into the bed next to her Madoka felt more lost. Everyone was doing so much for her, but she was still so afraid. They were all counting on her, but she wasn't so sure that she could live up to those expectations. Did she deserve it? Sayaka said she could do it but she was also putting on a brave face for her. She also remembered Kyoko's words. She really wasn't that good at anything, and now she almost literally had the weight of the world placed on her. Why? What made her so special that a Keyblade would choose her? She didn't feel exceptional. But would she even know if she was? Was it all the Keyblade? Was she still just a naive, useless, girl without it?

These thoughts troubled Madoka as she drifted off into a fitful sleep.

* * *

____As always, thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding!____

____~Dragonexx____


	18. Titanfall

**Chapter 18**

**Titanfall**

* * *

The scenery of Mount Olympus was beautiful, or so Homura supposed it must have been. Wilderness mixed with the ruins of old Greek structures was impressive to look at, though she was far to distracted with her own thoughts to take much notice of it.

Her thoughts returned to the prior fight. The hydra head. She hadn't even noticed it, and would have died if it hadn't been for Goofy. She snarled.

This couldn't be blamed on her current state. She had gotten sloppy, complacent. Lost her edge. Her duty was to protect Madoka, and she was becoming lax in that. She hadn't been vigilant enough and it had cost her everything.

But what to do about it? She thought back to what Hercules had said back in Thebes, about regaining lost strength. There was something there, but it was all so frustrating and made her long for something to fight to take her mind off of things.

Her musings were interrupted by the appearance of a cloud of smoke in front of the group. When it cleared, there stood a tall man with blue skin and hair seemingly made of blue fire. He wore black robes that faded away to dark mist near the ground.

"Ah, jeez Louise, what does it take to get rid of you? I though Cyclops had the job for ol' Wonder Breath here, but I suppose that's what you get for outsourcing. My bad. I'll promote internally next time. Much more reliable that way. By hey, die and learn, right?"

"Hades!" Hercules and Sora both shouted simultaneously. They, along with Donald and Goofy dropped into a fighting stance, weapons ready. _This_ was Hades?

"And you teamed up with the brats. And now there's more of the brats. Today just _has_ be the day for unwanted guests. First Maleficent, then the Three Stooges here, and now this girl. WONDERFUL!" Bright glowing red flames engulfed Hades, though as quickly as they were ignited, they extinguished, returning to the simple flames on his head. "No, nope. Nuh-uh. It's cool. Not gonna let this get me down. Today's a good day. Just gotta move up my time table a bit, shed some unnecessary side projects and..."

To everyone's surprise, Homura stepped in front of the group.

"Lord Hades. I-"

"Woah, woah, woah, kid. Why so formal? You can just call me Hades, the one and true, better than all those wannabes, The Hadester, The Hunk of Burnin' Love."

_Wait did he just reference…? Never mind. _

"I need to ask you something. I need to know if-"

"Gonna have to stop you right there. I'm kinda on a schedule tootz. Cosmic dominion and all that. If you could be so kind as to write that down on a black goat, sacrifice it to my secretary Daeira, and we'll get back to you on that in 6-8 business years. Real efficient. None of that floor banging stuff. Gives me a Zeus-danged headache. Oy vey. Now if you'll excuse me, I have an important meeting with my little brother!" Hades disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Wait!" Homura shouted, but the god was already gone.

"That doesn't sound good. I hope I'm wrong, but my family might need me." Hercules said. He whistled, and there was a neighing sound as Pegasus came flying down.

"Your family?" Sora asked.

"Yeah, dad's king of the gods. HYAH!" Pegasus took off towards the top of the mountain carrying Hercules with him.

"WHAAAAT?!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy called out at the same time.

"His father is a god. But doesn't that mean… Herc is a god too?"

"You… didn't know that?" Homura asked. They'd clearly spent time with Hercules before… But they were also from other worlds, so maybe the myths didn't exist wherever they were from, so they had never thought to question it.

"Well… you learn something new every day." Goofy said.

"Yeah, no wonder he's so strong." Donald added.

"Yeah, he's definitely got this… Oh! What were you trying to ask Hades about?" Sora turned to Homura.

"Hades is the god of the dead. If someone were dead, regardless of world he could know. I needed to know if Madoka-"

"You can't give up hope!" Sora interrupted.

"No. I have to know." Homura said. She looked up at the peak of the mountain. The storm was spreading rapidly, bringing rain close to them at such speed that she could see the sheets drawing nearer. "I can't afford not to."

"Alright, then we'll go with you!"

She storm was nearly upon them.

"You want to come with me into _that_?" She asked.

"Heroes never quit!" Donald said.

"Yeah, we fight with all our heart!" Sora said.

And then the storm engulfed them, bringing with it driving rain and howling winds, cutting off Homura's reply. It didn't matter, she had a mission.

Thus, they climbed their way up the mountain. The going was rough and frustrating. Scaling narrow mountain ledges was treacherous enough, throw in driving rain slicking the rocks, and Heartless attacking at random, and it was like the worst of Labyrinths. Eventually however, they managed to make some significant progress.

As they reached a clearing in the rocks there was a sudden shaking of the earth and a roar. Rocks began to slide around them, and a massive shadow fell over Homura. She looked up… _and saw the massive building coming towards her. She heard the cruel, maddened, laughter preceding the impact that would signal failure. That she had again lost to Walpurgisnacht. That all her efforts over the previous month and a half had been for naught, that Madoka was doomed once more. She had failed her, again. She-_

* * *

Sora dashed forwards, grabbing onto Homura and narrowly pushing her out of the way of a falling boulder. Though he was now lying on top of her, Homura didn't seem to react in the slightest. Her eyes were wide in a thousand-yard stare. Even as he sat up, she did nothing.

"Homura! Are you okay?!"

"I-I've failed. Again. Again. Again." She repeated.

"No! It's not over. You can do this!" Sora said.

"I can't..." Homura said.

"You _can_. Madoka's really lucky to have someone like you looking after her! Someone like that wouldn't give up so easily! You're stronger than you think you are! Never forget that!" He shouted.

"Madoka..." Homura's eyes refocused, seeming to become aware of where she was. As Sora moved off her she stood up, and looked up at the mountain. Sora followed her gaze to where he could see a massive silhouette with a two pairs of glowing red eyes moving about.

Homura took off, leaping up the side of the cliff face on rock outcroppings.

"That's the spirit!" Sora shouted as he followed her, running up the side of the cliff.

There was a roar in the distance, as what was clearly the Rock Titan shouted. "I'll crush you! _Quake!_"

The mountain shook again, and boulders began raining from the sky. Sora looked worried at Homura, but she was resolute, aiming her bow.

He followed her lead, and a volley of fireballs and arrows blasted apart rocks that drew to close as the group scaled the cliff. Eventually, they began leaping on the rocks, using them to reach further positions as they ascended until they reached the top of the cliff.

There they could see that the two-headed titan was still so far away.

"Crush you! _Quakera!_" The entire mountain shook, and a massive landslide of boulders came crashing down towards them.

"What do we do!" Donald shouted.

Goofy looked about, and pointed towards a cave. "In here, hurry!"

He expanded his shield, with everyone rushing under it, managing to deflect the falling rocks until they safely made it into the cave.

Everyone stopped for a moment to catch their breath. Except Homura.

"That was too close." Donald said.

"How do we get up now?" Goofy asked as he saw that the cave entrance had been blocked off.

"This cave must lead higher up the mountain." Homura said, noting the path before her.

"Right let's go!"

Sure enough, the exit came soon, leading back out into the rain and another mountain path. As they rushed forwards, they were interrupted by a sudden rock crashing down to the ground near them.

Sora was about to ignore it when she saw the rock shift, revealing it to actually be a giant rocky Heartless armed with an axe. The Rock Troll leaped towards Sora, who barely got out of the way of it's swing.

* * *

Homura had faced one of these creatures before, back on her island. There, she had been a goddess, but now, she wasn't. But that didn't matter. It stood no chance anyways. She laughed as she rushed forwards, sliding beneath an axe swing and shooting at the Heartless' leg. It stumbled back, where Sora shot a burst of water into it's face. The impact toppled the creature to the ground, Homura leaped into the air, prepared to rain down arrow shots on the Heartless, only to be interrupted by the appearance of reinforcements.

Round heartless with rocky spikes emerged, and immediately began charging at Homura, spinning wildly. She didn't even break a sweat as she twisted out of the way, of the attack, allowing Donald and Goofy to intercept them, but unfortunately, also allowing the giant Heartless to rise.

She attempted to shoot it again, only for it to block the attack with it's axe, which also left it open for Sora to slash it in the face with a Keyblade engulfed in flames. As he kicked off of it, it attempted to retaliate, allowing Homura free reign to open fire while she circled around the Heartless. As it turned to swing at her, Sora leaped back on it's head and fired a jet of water directly into the Heartless' eyes, blinding it. Sora leaped off as Homura jumped into the air next to him. Sora's keyblade glowed with light, releasing a storm of glowing projectiles at the same time that Homura loosed three arrows simultaneously. Both of them shouted. "_Flame of Dawn!"_

The light projectiles converged on the arrows as they were fired causing them to transform into swirling vortexes of glowing light and blazing shadow. The attacks struck the Heartless head on, blasting it straight off the mountain and taking the other Heartless with it, sending them falling to their demise.

Sora grinned as the two of them landed. He gave her a thumbs up. "See! I knew you could do it!"

Despite herself, Homura felt a warm smile creep across her face. _This… isn't so bad…_

The mountain suddenly shook again, and they looked up to see the Rock Titan standing on a cliff just above them.

"Oh right!" Sora said. He turned to Homura and the others. They all nodded, and rushed towards the cliff.

The Titan roared and hurled down conjured rocks at them as they attempted to ascend the cliff. There were several close calls, made worse by the driving rain making it hard to see. Upon reaching the top of the cliff, they both leaped onto the Titan's body, attempting to make their way to the heads. The Titan shook itself, hurling them off and releasing a barrage of falling rocks.

The hit the ground and took shelter beneath the Titan's body.

"Where'd you go!" The Rock Titan demanded. "Show yourselves so I can crush you!"

"How are we gonna get up there?!" Goofy asked.

Homura looked around the area, and noted several small cracks in the titan's legs.

"His feet! Bring him down!"

She opened fire on the titans right foot, widening the cracks, which started to glow. Sora and Goofy followed suit, charging forwards and striking the foot with their weapons, inflicting even more damage, which was exacerbated by Donald aiming a bolt of lightning directly into the cracks, blasting off pieces of stone.

The Titan roared in pain as it staggered. "There you are!"

The Rock Titan stomped it's foot and spikes of stone emerged from the ground, forcing everyone to retreat from the foot, barely avoiding impalement. A flurry of stomps and flying rocks forced everyone to rapidly dodge the onslaught.

"_Haste!_" Homura cried as she cast the spell, increasing her own movement speed. The carnage around her slowed down, allowing her to duck beneath a flying boulder and then leap off a rising stalagmite, to get a clear shot at the other leg.

As the titan roared in pain, Sora leaped into the air followed by Goofy who he then hurled toward the Titan's leg. With his shield, Goofy smashed through several rocks to score a direct impact, widening the cracks.

Homura took advantage, firing multiple arrows into the crack. The Titan roared in pain as the cracks glowed. The massive creature staggered back, leaning on the mountain.

"Alright!" Sora said.

"Good goin' Homura!" Goofy said.

"Now, to the heads!" Donald exclaimed.

The disoriented Titan was helpless to stop them as the group leaped up it's massive body, straight towards the top of the living mountain.

When there, the heads tried to bite at them, though they were too slow to be effective. Sora leaped about between the two heads, striking them about. There wasn't anything the titan could do as Donald and Goofy joined in on the attack. This fight was _over_. All that was left was the finishing blow.

"Give me a boost!" She shouted. Sora leaped out of the way as Donald cast _Aero._ Homura leaped atop the sudden updraft. From the air, Homura activated her shield, the gears within spinning wildly and randomly, clashing in impossible rotations. She felt energy flow from it into her, and the world around her warped. She saw images of clocks spinning frantically. As she aimed her bow, spectral clock-gears tipped in violet flames formed in front of it, rapidly turning until they were a blur of purple color. As she released her shot, augmented by the pure power of Time she couldn't help but shout "_Horology_!"

As the arrow passed through the gears, it got larger and faster, until it exploded directly against the Rock Titan, slamming it against the mountain with immense force, triggering an avalanche. Homura was about to give a cheer of victory as the titan was swept down the mountain, however her blood ran cold when she saw Sora get knocked off his perch and caught in the rockslide, crushing him beneath tons of stone.

* * *

_I think someone called it earlier._

____As always, thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding!____

_~Dragonexx_


	19. Homura's Odyssey (Part 1)

**Chapter 19**

**Homura's Odyssey (Part 1)**

* * *

The sound. The horrifying sound. A scream, cut short by the deluge of rock. The chill, the twisted feeling of dread.

Donald and Goofy were frozen, not seeming to comprehend what they saw. Homura's felt horrid as she landed. The bow slipped from her grip to the ground with a clatter.

_No! No no no! Please no! _She rushed over to the pile of rocks, and began to pull them off. The driving rain and her own tears blurred her vision. She didn't care. The rocks were sharp, and cut into her hands. She didn't care. Homura grew more frantic as she dug deeper, tossing rocks aside, no heed given to the effect the labor had on herself.

_Save him! Save him! Dammit Homura, for once in your pathetic _joke_ of a life, DO SOMETHING RIGHT!_

After shifting one rock, she saw Sora's limp hand, and her heart sank. She collapsed to her knees, about to sob when she saw the hand twitch.

"Sora!" Homura dug even faster, tossing rocks aside until she finally managed to unearth him. He was injured, though not too severely, he must have wound up in a safe area and mercifully avoided being killed. He coughed, as he attempted to pull himself out.

"_Cura_!" Donald shouted. Green light enveloped Sora, healing his wounds. He immediately sprung up, and dusted himself off.

"Sora… I'm so sorry. I-"

"Hey, it's no biggie! We won right?" Sora said as he looked over the cliff, grinning.

"Yep! One down, three to go!" Donald confirmed.

"Then let's get moving, I want to see Olympus!" Sora said, looking towards a cave in the distance.

The others ran off into the tunnel, while Homura stood motionless.

"What did you think was going to happen?"

Homura didn't even flinch this time, instead collapsing to her knees as she heard the steps of bare feet approaching her.

"_I said_: What did you think was going to happen?"

Homura said nothing, until a skeletal hand grabbed by her hair and forced her to look up.

"Let me repeat myself again. What. Did. You. Think. Was. Going. To. Happen?" Homulilly pulled Homura's head up to face her own.

"I… don't know." Homura said. "It was nice to be around them… They made me feel good."

"Did they now?" Homulilly said. She then slapped Homura across the face. Homura didn't resist and instead collapsed to the ground. Homulilly gestured to the rock pile. "Fat lot of good it did them. You just show up in the middle of their quest, insert yourself into it, and then you go and pull a Mami. They're worse off for meeting you. Just like Madoka."

"Of whom you have callously _betrayed_!" Another voice snarled behind her. The fluttering of black feathers signaled the arrival of the Devil. "Are you so cowardly that you would forsake your life's purpose? After everything you have sacrificed, you would just abandon her to the winds of fate?"

"I-I'm not!" Homura protested.

"What does it matter? She's dead and it's Homura's fault. Ripping her apart and making her vulnerable. Then she gets torn to pieces by Heartless. Imagine it, the sheer pain as she dies, soaked in her own blood, unable to to more than gurgle, never knowing the twisted monster who condemned her to this awful fate. And now she's going to ruin other peoples lives too."

"Madoka is _not _dead." The Devil hissed. She grabbed Homulilly by her collar. "She was saved, first from the loathsome Incubators, then from the wicked Goddess. She was given a new life. Freedom from having to bear the sins of a rotten world."

"And it killed her. Gaslit to the point where she was unable to even defend herself." Homulilly calmly replied, before pushing the Devil away. "And now she's trying to replace Madoka with Sora. And going down the same path. It's clear she's learned nothing."

"On that matter, it appears we have somewhat of an agreement. A betrayal of Madoka." The Devil said as both she and Homulilly turned to Homura, who was rising to her knees.

"No! It isn't! Sora forgave her! He doesn't blame her!" Akemi jumped in front of Homura.

"If we continue to remain by his side, he will come to despise us like Madoka does."

"Sora's not like that. Madoka's not like that either!"

"You! You are the one who is planting these naïve ideas in her head!" The Devil strode forwards and struck Akemi in the face. Akemi fell to the ground, clutching her nose and sobbing, only for the Devil to lean over, grab her by the hair and begin striking her again. "Making her weak!"

"Prolonging her suffering!" Homulilly joined in, kicking Akemi.

Akemi sobbed. "No! Please! This isn't right!"

"All you've ever done is let Madoka die, over and over and over! You were never anything but a burden. A waste!"

Homura closed her eyes, and covered her ears, attempting to block out the noise, though it was futile. She could still hear Akemi sobbing.

"This isn't right! Please-"

"_STOP!" _Homura shouted. There was silence.

When she opened her eyes, she saw that she was alone, no trace of the others, only the pouring rain which covered up her sobs.

Eventually, she heard footsteps. Were they back? She cringed in expectation of more mockery, only to hear a different voice instead.

"Hey Homura! You have to come see this, it's amazing! You won't believe it!" He said. "Homura?"

Homura clenched her fists and bit her tongue before forcing herself to her feet. She couldn't burden him with this. Thankfully the rain hid her tears as he approached.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yes, I'm coming." She said, as she followed him into the tunnel, and indeed, gasped at what she saw on the other side.

Stepping out of the tunnel the rainstorm was gone. Instead she was now apparently standing on top of a cloud. Just ahead was a beautifully designed staircase leading to a set of pearly gates, all illuminated by a soft golden light.

The group climbed the staircase, taking note of the crystals scattered about the area. As the approached the top, the gates opened, and a golden light shined forth, momentarily blinding them.

When it faded, they found themselves at the entrance to a massive golden city that even Homura was taken aback by.

"Is this... Olympus?" Sora said, in awe.

"Gawrsh, it's amazing!" Goofy said.

Homura had to agree. The building were all intricately carved and shaped from white stone and gold metal, all built atop clouds which steadily drifted through the city, holding up structures, creating bridges, or just decorating the area. Beautiful statues and carvings decorated the streets, while crystals atop posts functioned as lights. It certainly looked fitting as a Realm of the Gods.

Madoka would love to see a place like this. Internally, she smiled at the though, though it soon turned sour. Even if she managed to get her back, Madoka would never truly accept her after what she had to do. But it was necessary, all the same, upsetting as it was.

Then she heard that sound. That terrible, watery sound, that heralded the arrival of the Heartless.

"A fanfare?" Donald asked.

Dark portals appeared and out of them emerged a squad of minotaur shaped Heartless.

"Nope!" Sora said, drawing his Keyblade.

Homura readied her bow. At least she had something to vent the frustration on.

The minotaurs lowered their faceplates and charged, a massive stampede of horns, forcing everyone to leap out of the way. As he did so, Sora cast _Water_ on the ground in front of the crowd, causing the minotaurs to slip and fall over each other.

Homura jumped into the air over the now prone crowd and fired her bow into the middle of it. The minotaurs were scattered, some sent flying, while those closest to the center were destroyed.

With the charge broken, Sora leaped into the fray, cutting down several of the disoriented minotaurs while avoid swings of their from those that managed to rise to their feet.

Homura landed on the head of one of the Heartless, and it bucked in an attempt to knock her off. Unfortunately, it ended up goring one of it's companions, after which Homura leaped off it's head, and shot arrows at both of them.

As she landed, she was forced to roll out of the way to narrowly avoid a punch from a Minotaur, which she countered with an arrow shot, while Donald rained down lightning bolts on the remainders of the crowd.

Sora leaped back and pumped his fist. "Ha! They weren't so tough!"

"Yeah!" Donald said

The celebration was again interrupted by the sound of thunder off in the distance. When she looked up, she saw flashing lights in the city's acropolis.

"That must be where everyone is!" Sora said.

"Right!"

The group rushed through the city, towards the peak. As she ran, Homura observed the place. Though it was beautiful, it was also disturbingly lifeless in a way that uncomfortably reminded her of Mitakihara in the aftermath of the Heartless attack. This was a divine city, but were even gods not safe from becoming Heartless?

Their travels carried them into a building through which streams of water flowed. It was clearly a thoroughfare of some sort, and Homura could easily imagine the gods passing through here, idly chatting about the news of the world, boasting about accomplishments, and detailing quests done in their name. When there was life in this place, it surely must have been beautiful. Now, however, it was empty, the sound of water feeling eerie and unpleasant. It seemed the only way forwards though. They followed the stream of water down a tunnel of clouds to what must have been the forge of Hephaestus. There was a sharp rise in temperature as they entered, looking about in awe.

The battle couldn't have been that long ago. Everything was still active, as if the forgemaster had only stepped away for a few moments. The fires in the furnace still burned, and the pots were filled with molten metal. At the other end of the place was another tunnel of clouds, which the followed, taking them towards the top of Olympus. There, the signs of the battle were more apparent, as shattered buildings and chunks of stone floated through the air. In the distance, there were flashes of light of various colors. Fortunately, the rubble made for easy climbing points. They were at the peak in no time.

As they approached the top of Olympus, Homura could see the other three titans. One was a towering skeleton made of ice, another a blob of glowing lava in a vaguely humanoid shape, the third a living tornado.

The first two were currently in the process of imprisoning a white haired figure that could only be Zeus, by dousing him in lava and then rapidly cooling it, encasing him in a pillar of stone. Around the area were what he presumed were the other gods, bound by chains while a pair of little demons mocked them.

"I swear to you Hades! When I get out of this-" He was unable to finish his threat as the pillar of stone fully engulfed him.

"No! I'm the one giving the orders now, bolt boy! And I think I'm gonna like it here!" Hades boasted. He conjured a black throne for himself, and upon reclining, conjured a drink. It reminded her of herself, and a surge of guilt ran through her. It was quickly beaten back down however. She wasn't like Hades. She wasn't a conqueror hell bent on revenge. This wasn't about some slight. She was protecting Madoka. That was what had brought her here.

"I wouldn't get too comfortable!" A familiar voice shouted and Hades spat out his drink in shock. Homura heard a whinny, and the flapping of wings.

Hercules had arrived on the back of Pegasus. He cut through several flying Heartless as he approached the acropolis, at the same time as the others.

"Were gonna stop you." Sora shouted, drawing Hades attention to them.

"ALREADY?!" Hades shouted, his blue flames again becoming red.

At that moment, there was the sound of arriving Heartless again, though on a massive scale. Everyone paused and turned to see an immense horde of Heartless gathering just outside the gates.

"Aha! Finally something useful from that hag!" Hades pumped his fists.

The area grew darker as the Heartless approached. Minotaur and centaur heartless were gathering outside the gates, ramming into them, while flying heartless filled the skies.

"Gawrsh, there's too many to count!" Goofy said as he looked out at the horde.

_Too many to fight._ Homura thought. What could they do? Titans and Hades on one side, and Heartless on the other. She looked around, and her eyes locked on the chained gods.

"Sora! Let's even the odds!"

Sora followed where she was pointing and immediately got what she was suggesting. He aimed his Keyblade in their direction, and the tip of the blade glowed, forming a circle of light. Out from the center, a beam of light struck the chains. There was a _very satisfying_ sound of a lock tumbling, and then the chains surrounding the gods vanished. The two demons fled for their lives.

"NO! NO! NO!" Hades shouted at the top of his lungs. But it was too late. A red skinned god that could only be Ares donned a helmet and drew a sword.

"To battle!" He shouted. The other gods followed in his lead, charging towards the Heartless horde.

The party turned back to Hades, who was seething. "GET THEM!"

The Titans obliged his commands, the three of them stomping towards the group, as Hercules leaped off of Pegasus to join them. Homura grit her teeth as she readied her bow. She had intended for the gods to fight the Titans while she, Sora, Donald, and Goofy dealt with the Heartless, but this worked too, she supposed. It would be just like fighting Witches, she reassured herself. Three Witches at once...

* * *

____As always, thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding!____

____~Dragonexx____


	20. Homura's Odyssey (Part 2)

**Chapter 20**

**Homura's Odyssey (Part 2)**

* * *

"_Meltdown!_" The Lava Titan belched molten rock into the air, opening the battle with a rain of burning stone.

Homura quickly dodged the deadly rain and retaliated with multiple arrows. The arrows sank into the titan's liquid body and exploded, blasting chunks out of the creature. It didn't seem too fazed by the impact however.

Homura was about to fire again when she felt a sudden drop in temperature. She narrowly slid out of the way of a blast of freezing cold breath that coated the acropolis floor in solid ice. The Ice Titan then staggered towards her, breaking off its feet from where they were frozen to the ground earlier, and extending towards their new location.

Homura dodged out of the way of the stomp, and almost got caught in a freezing shockwave shot from the impact.

The Ice Titan reached down, intending to swipe her with its claws, only for a jet of flame to wash over its hand. It recoiled in pain as Donald continued to spray fire at the creature. When it attempted to reach Homura with its other hand, Hercules hurled a huge chunk of rock into the Titan's face, causing it to stumble back. Homura opened fire, creating several cracks in its ribcage.

There was then a sudden spike in temperature as the Lava Titan surged forth like a living wave of molten death

"Aero!" Donald shouted. A whirlwind formed beneath him and Homura, propelling them both out of the way of the deadly flow firing volleys of projectiles all the while. As they landed, the Titan turned, and hurled more globs of lava at them.

"Haste!" Homura enhanced her speed and avoiding the lava. She was about to shoot at the Titan, when a blast of wind blew her away, sending her shot wild. She hit the ground and tried to run, but she tripped. Looking down, she saw her foot had been frozen over.

"Blizzard!" Said the Ice Titan with a raspy cry. Homura looked up to see large chunks of ice appearing in the air to come streaking towards her.

Homura rolled to her feet and jammed the heel of her shoe into the ice, cracking it, and pushed off of the now tractioned ground to evade the icy projectiles. As she leaped into the air, Sora came running beneath her, charging towards the Ice Titan.

He leaped off an icicle it shot at him, propelling himself directly towards the Titans head. Homura was about to join him, when the sound of howling winds approached her.

Even being hasted didn't give her enough time to react, as the Wind Titans arm extended toward her, opening into a funnel that sucked Homura in. Almost instantly, she was ejected out the top of the vortex, sent hurtling into the sky.

It would have been nice to have her wings back. Up here, Homura was a sitting duck without them, at the mercy of the Titan's attacks and the cruel force known as gravity as well. As she looked down, she saw the Wind Titan drawing in molten globs from the Lava Titan and launching them up at her like a gatling gun.

Not to be outdone, Homura retaliated with shots from her bow, though it was barely enough to keep up with the stream of molten bullets. Small bits splatted onto her, burning holes in her uniform and leaving aggravating burns in their wake. Her arrow shots quickly became ineffective as she reached the apex of her launch.

She felt the dreaded sensation of gravity taking effect as she began to fall. However, before she could gain much speed, there was the sound of a whinny and a blur of motion.

When Homura opened her eyes, she found she was now sitting on the back of Pegasus. She had never ridden a horse (or any animal) before, but she'd have to make the most of this opportunity. "Hyah!"

Pegasus flew through the battlefield, weaving in between the Titan's attacks, while Homura rained down arrows upon them. Massive fists of violently turbulent wind swung at them, but Pegasus was too agile to be hit by such blows, and the Titan's swing left its face vulnerable to shots from Homura's bow. The creature recoiled from the shots, and frantically sucked up sharp pieces of ice to aim at them. Homura raised her shield, and a purple aura extended from it, intercepting the barrage of cold and ice.

As the snowflakes faded, Homura looked up to see that the Wind Titan had shot more lava into the air. Pegasus tried to dodge, with Homura supporting him, but a dual barrage was starting to overwhelm them.

She considered casting Haste but it wouldn't do much when she wasn't moving under her own power. She attempted to cast Slow on the Titan but it didn't seem to have any effect. It clearly had some sort of magic resistance. How convenient.

Pegasus grunted in pain. Even with Homura's help, small bits of lava or shards of ice were getting through. Then an idea overcame her. If she could cast Slow on others, then why not…

"Haste!" Pegasus whinnied triumphantly as his speed and reaction time massively increased. The barrage of fire and ice became nothing as he easily wove his way through the onslaught. Freed from her need to defend, Homura took advantage of every opening, raining down arrows upon the Titan as it attacked futilely, lighting up the sky with a display of purple bursts. The Titan fell back. Even with Homura and Pegasus hasted, the Tornado Titan still had the speed of the wind, and now it was using that speed to put some distance between itself and them.

As the duo came in for another run, things went wrong. First, the Haste spell wore off. Then, they barely managed to dodge a blast of lava, only to run headlong into a massive blast of wind. The wind caught Pegasus' wings, sending him careening through the air, and Homura falling off his back. She was sent spirally through the air, attempting to grab on to anything, but was unable to stop herself from slamming into the ground.

* * *

When Homura's head stopped swimming and her eyesight unblurred, the first thing she realized was how absolutely cold she was. The second thing she realized was that she couldn't move. She was encased in ice, at the edge of the acropolis.

With her blurry vision through the frost, she could see the battle still raging.

Then she saw a pair of well shaped legs alight down in front of her. Unlike everything else, they were clear to her vision. The Devil knelt down, her face perfectly visible through the ice.

"Well, I believe the proper term to use here is 'bit off more than she could chew' if I am correct?"

Homura struggled to say something, though the ice was too thick, and she could only shiver slightly.

"'Just like Witches' my ass. Have you forgotten? You never were all that good in a fight without your ability to stop time. I believe fixing the world blurred those memories." The Devil mocked.

Homura grit her teeth trying to reply, but again, she couldn't move.

"So it is only a matter of time. Either you freeze to death, anticlimactically, or a stray shot ends you. And then your grand quest for the sake of dearest Madoka comes to an end. Never to know if she lives or not. What a waste. But what else can you expect?"

Homura snarled at those words. But she was still helpless.

"Oh, so there is still some fire in you!" The Devil smirked. "But not enough. _I was_ the one who finally triumphed. _I was_ the one, who brought low the foul rats. _I was_ the one who freed Madoka from the clutches of the Goddess. _I was_ the one who broke the cursed cycle of the Puella Magi. And so it stands that I must be the one to put an end to this battle."

The Devil placed her hand on Homura's and her vision became filled with violet flames.

* * *

"Homura!" When Sora saw her hit the ground, and then become frozen solid by a blast of cold immediately afterwards, his heart sank. He and Goofy rushed towards her, intending to free her, only for the Ice Titan to stomp it's way into their path. "Get out of the way!"

The Titan instead roared. Sora ducked behind Goofy's shield as the Titan exhaled it's frigid breath. When the barrage stopped, now there was a wall of ice cutting him off from Homura.

"_No!_"

Suddenly, from behind the wall, Sora saw an explosion of violet fire. The Ice Titan turned in confusion, only to get blasted in the face and knocked off its feet.

Sora saw Homura rise into the air, although she was different now. Her outfit had been replaced with a black dress, backless to allow for a pair of black wings that carried her aloft. Violet flames danced all around her as her body seemed to flicker, almost like static on a television. Her bow was still in her hand, though now, violet fire crackled at both ends of the weapon.

The Ice Titan swung its arm and released a barrage of icicles. Deftly dodging the attack, Homura retaliated with another massive blast of flame in the shape of a fist. The Ice Titan attempted to block the attack, but was nearly knocked off its feet by the sheer force of the blow.

As the Ice Titan slid back, Homura was about to go in for the final shot, when the Tornado Titan intervened. A massive cloudy fist struck her in an uppercut, knocking her high into the air again.

The Devil laughed as she soared through the sky, the Tornado Titan in pursuit. She knew from that blow that the Tornado Titan was no match for her; though Homura had been struggled against its hurricane-force wind attacks, they might have been a calm sea breeze to the Devil. The Titan shot rending gusts of wind and hurled chunks of debris at her. They were answered with barrages of burning arrows as the Devil soared through the chaos.

The Titan simply couldn't keep up with her, aided by accelerated time as she was, and each shot blasted off parts of the Titan. Its attacks, which the weakling Homura had barely managed to keep up with, were easy to avoid now. She idly wondered why the others didn't defer to her at all times. After all, they were all failures. The girl, a pathetic coward broken by the world and afraid of her own shadow. The Puella Magi, slavishly devoted to a quest she had no hope of succeeding at. The witch, a pathetic creature unable to do any more than weep at a world she was powerless in. The Devil clearly was the only one who stood a chance of finally ending this sordid saga.

The Tornado Titan pulled out all the stops, as it lifted enormous chunks of the city into the air, hurling the about wildly. When a building was hurled at the Devil, she gestured, and a massive pair of glowing hands emerged, grabbed the building, and hurled it back at the Titan.

Even that wasn't enough to kill it, to her frustration. The Devil dodged her way through another barrage of debris, before flying high into the sky.

"**Let us end this!**" She said, as she held her hand up into the air, drawing upon the greater magic she had access to now. "**_Comet!_**"

A rock burning with violet flames came streaking down from the sky, striking the Wind Titan head on with a deafening impact.

The Titan was smashed into the ground while engulfed in dark flames, momentarily dispersing into a shapeless cloud, before reconstituting into a humanoid shape. As the Devil descended she noted that the others had dealt with the remaining 2 titans, and they were currently sprawled out on the ground.

"Wow! Homura! Is that you?" Sora asked. "You look awesome!"

The Devil ignored him. She was about raise a cry of triumph, of praise to her awesome glory, when the ground shook. She looked over, to see the Rock Titan, of all things, striding towards them. As it approached, the other Titans stirred, rising from where they lay.

The Devil sighed. "**I grow weary of this conflict.**"

"Then let's end this once and for all!" Hercules said. He leaped upon the mound of stone in the center and began to pry it open.

A golden light shone forth from the cracks, and then the top of the pillar exploded, Zeus burst free from his prison.

"_NOOOOOOOOO!_" Hades howled.

"Thank you, my boy!" Zeus said. As he said that, Hephaestus tossed a batch of thunderbolts to the newly liberated King of the Gods. "Now, watch your old man work!"

"_Uh oh..._" One of the Titans said.

It was a blinding display. A single bolt blasted one of the Rock Titan's heads completely off, with a second taking the other in short order. At this demonstration of power, the Titans began to flee without hesitation.

They didn't get far. Hercules leaped towards the Tornado Titan and grabbed it by the base of the funnel. He swung the creature around, and used it to suck up the other 3 Titans. Then, he hurled all four of them clear out of the atmospher and right into space, where they exploded in a brilliant burst of light.

Outside, the other gods were mopping up the remaining Heartless. The fight was over.

"We did it!" Sora, Donald and Goofy exchanged high fives.

The Devil stood away from the group, observing the proceedings.

"We won! Everyone's safe!" A voice behind her said. She turned to see Akemi, for once smiling. Stupid girl. They didn't matter.

"**_I_ won!**" The Devil said. "**You were useless, as usual. And none of these distractions matter if we do not find out if my lovely Madoka still lives.**"

Akemi shrunk away at those words, but then said. "They're not distractions!"

"**Are they now?**" The Devil said. "**I would beg to differ!**"

"What do you mean?" Said another voice. Homura approached, clambering over a large chunk of stone.

"**Why get involved in that whole climactic battle at all? Hades was waiting at the side of the arena the entire time. We could have questioned him at any time and then been on our merry way. But you wanted to play Hero.**" The Devil snarled. These girls were idiots. Her old selves were weak, beaten down by the world, and to afraid to strike back. "**And nearly got killed in the process requiring me to get the job done! Heroics are pointless. You remember Sayaka Miki right? That fool girl blinded by her own ego. You remember how she kept wanting to be a "Hero of Justice" or some sort of nonsense, and then breaks when she realizes how foolish those goals are? Pointless.**"

"Pointless? The people love Hercules!" Akemi said.

The Devil kicked aside a few stones revealing an action figure of Hercules. She picked up the toy, turning it over in her hands. "**These things are everywhere. In houses, on shop stalls, by the side of the road, in garbage piles. They love their celebrity of the moment. Place him on billboards, merchandise, statues. But fame fades, adoration fades. They just want amusement. A toy. Heroics are a fools game. You remember Mami Tomoe right? How she craved admiration and got killed grandstanding. How Madoka kept leading herself to ruin, all playing into the loathsome hands of the Incubator.**"

"Are you serious?! You're dishonoring her! Forgetting the reason why she-" The Devil slapped Akemi, knocking off her glasses.

"**I am _saving_ her! Madoka was too naive. She didn't understand the world. I do! This world does not deserve her kindness! It is rotten to the core and the few good people are dragged down into the mire with it. We must drill that into her head or that gorgeous, ignorant, _wonderful_, naive, girl will keep tearing herself apart for the benefit of those who will never be grateful for her sacrifice!**" The Devil snarled. "**Now, I have a mission to complete. As it seems that I am the only one among us capable of remaining on task and not getting waylaid by foolhardy sentiment, as usual I must clean up everyone else's failures. Or have you forgotten what you did to Sora?**"

Even Homura flinched at those words, while Akemi sobbed and ran away. Good riddance. The Devil looked at the toy one last time before lighting it on fire. The Devil was about to step forwards to join the others, when a sudden pain shot through her. Her body flickered. "**_No._**" The Devil grit her teeth, and forced herself forwards. She still had work to do.

"Are you kidding me?! I put _18 years_ into that plan, and you've blippin' ruined it!" Hades raged. "I _really_ don't like you!"

"Just give it up!" Sora said. "You'll never beat Herc no matter how many times you try."

"Yeah, stay in the Underworld where you belong!"

"Go have the time of your afterlife!" Donald joked.

"_**ENOUGH ALREADY!**_ I did not come this far to be ridiculed by Zeusy high and mighty, his little sunspot and a gaggle of _clowns_!" Hades' flames erupted in a burst of raging orange. "You know what? I'll just go ahead and destroy you!"

"Hades?" Hercules asked calmly.

"_What?!_" Hades turned, only for Hercules to punch him in the face, sending him sprawling across the ground.

"That's for trying to wreck Thebes."

His flames diminished, before flaring up again. "You'll pay for this! I have a very, very, long memory! I can still dunk your little nut-meg in a river of de-"

Smoke began to surround him, only to be disrupted by a circle of violet fire.

He looked up as the Devil approached him. "And what do you want?"

"**Hades.**" the Devil said imperiously. "**You are lord of the underworld, ruler of the dead. You can know if a soul has perished, regardless of world. Tell me, has the one known as Madoka Kaname passed?**"

Hades blinked several times, looking a little shocked. His flames reverted to their normal blue color. "Nope, nu-uh, doesn't ring a bell. That check is still in the mail. Are we done here!" With that, he disappeared a puff of smoke and hellfire.

_So she's alive._ The Devil breathed a sigh of relief.

She turned to Sora who was smiling encouragingly at her, only for her vision to flicker. As she looked at her self her body began to warp. The Devil screamed in pain before collapsing to the ground, her sight fading to black.

* * *

____So the Olympus Arc is wrapping to a close. It should be finished in the next chapter, and then we can return to Madoka and co.____

____As always, thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding!____

____~Dragonexx____


	21. Imposter

**Chapter 21**

**Imposter**

* * *

The city was in ruins. The looming shadow of Walpurgisnacht bore down upon it, a mad jester leering at the carnage, suffering, and death it had inflicted. So many lives were lost, including her friend Mami Tomoe.

"Well, I better get going." Madoka said calmly.

"But… Miss Tomoe… that thing killed her!"

"I know, but someone has to stop Walpurgisnacht, and I'm the only one left who can."

"No! You can't beat it by yourself, it's too strong! It'll kill you too, Miss Kaname!"

"Even so, I have to protect everyone. It's my job. I'm a magical girl."

"Please… We can run away… I mean, this is hopeless! No one would blame you if you did, Miss Kaname!" Homura begged and pleaded. Madoka was everything to her. She couldn't lose her too!

"Homura. It's okay. I'm glad I got to become friends with you. Saving you from that Witch was the best thing I ever did. And I'm always going to be proud of that. Y'see? That's why, in the end, I'm glad I got to become a Magical Girl. I really am!"

"Miss Kaname..."

"Goodbye, Homura! Take care!" She smiled gently, that smile that signaled her doom. She leaped off into the distance, towards the Witch, as a blinding light shone forth, while Homura could only scream.

"Wait! Don't go! MISS KANAME!"

* * *

Homura awoke, to find herself lying on some sort of altar. Standing over her was a purple skinned man. One of the gods, she remembered. And then she recalled where she was. Olympus.

"What happened?"

"You passed out. But don't worry, you have been granted the honor of being healed by Apollo, god of medicine!" The purple skinned man said dramatically. "Though I must say, your anatomy is a bit unusual. But, I suppose that's what to expect from an offworlder! Doctor's recommendation: You should get more sleep."

"I'll take it into consideration." Homura said flatly.

"Ah well, time to join in the celebrations! Dionysus is breaking out the good stuff!" He shrugged, and walked away. As he did, Homura sat up. The sun had set, and it was night. If anything, Olympus looked even more beautiful after dark. Beneath a starry sky, the gods danced about, glowing with lights of their own as they flew from island to island, celebrating their victory.

"Homura! You're okay!" She heard a familiar voice, and turned to see Sora approaching her.

"Yes, it seems." She stood up, and looked around. "Where are the others?"

"Donald and Goofy are joining the party. Hercules went back down to Thebes to be with Meg."

"He's not staying up here with the gods?"

"Nope. He said: 'I can visit my family anytime I want. If I stayed, I'd have to be apart from the person I love most… And that life would be empty.' Or something like that."

"Empty..." Homura pondered.

"But enough of that, _look_!" Sora pointed excitedly into the air. Homura followed his direction, looking straight up.

There, she saw a constellation depicting Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Even as she marveled at this, she saw the stars moving through the sky, arranging themselves into another pattern. Hercules. She recalled in some of the myths of the gods creating constellations to honor heroes forever. Well, Hercules certainly deserved one.

But then, to her surprise, it didn't stop there. The stars were still moving. At first, she was confused, but then utterly shocked. The stars were arranging into a constellation of_ herself!_ She gasped in awe, though soon, her heart felt heavy.

Now that the fighting was over, she had time to think. To find the truth. They thought she was a hero… but… she wasn't one. She wasn't brave or compassionate. She hadn't set out to save any of them. She had only joined up with the others for her own selfish goals, and then blundered her way into success. She was a nothing girl. No family. No past. No future. She did not deserve success, thus she had to break the laws of the World in order to cheat her way to a semblance of victory.

"Haha! That's amazing! Congratulations Homura!" Sora grabbed Homura's hands and spun her around, dancing.

But she wanted this… this connection, this friendship. Even though it was brief, traveling with Sora, Donald and Goofy had brought to her a happiness she hadn't felt in years. They were courageous, yet compassionate. Confident, yet not afraid to be silly as well. It reminded her of the times she had fought alongside Madoka and the others. Those few and precious timelines where they had all been friends.

_The dread chill that washed over her at the sound of the rockslide and Sora's cry of fear as the boulders came crashing down upon him._

_"Say Homura, could it be that Madoka's potential to become the most powerful magical girl is _because_ you kept turning back time?"_

Homura flinched, and let go of Sora. She looked up at her constellation again. It didn't deserve to be so honored. It was a monument to falsehood and deceit. She was a liar, a killer, a violator, a monster. So many people she had hurt, so many lives she had ruined in pursuit of her selfish goals.

_"I don't have much left, but this is thanks for saving me! You were amazing! I hope I can be brave like you someday!"_

She wasn't brave. She was a coward, a weakling, a selfish unwanted girl who desired things she should never have.

She thought back to the what everyone had said.

_"Hmm… that's a tough one. All I knew was that she was in trouble. Suddenly, I wanted to save her with all my heart, but… it's not like I could tell you how."_

_"Heroes never quit!"_

_"Yeah, we fight with all our heart!"_

_"I can visit my family anytime I want. If I stayed, I'd have to be apart from the person I love most… And that life would be empty."_

The conclusion was clear.

"I'm leaving now."

"What?!" Sora asked.

"I can't stay with you. If I am to find Madoka, then I must focus on her to the exclusion of all else. My own wants, my own desires, they cannot factor into it. They are dangerous distractions."

"But… I can help you find Madoka! We work so well together! With all of us, we'll find Madoka for sure!"

"Sora, the time I spent with you all. It's been great, but… that's why I have to leave. This… is not the kind of person I can be. I'm so sorry. I'm no hero. You deserve better."

"But you are! Is this about the rockslide? It's not a big deal! I don't blame you!"

"And that's why I must leave you." Homura felt a pain in her chest. She realized she was fighting back tears. "I wish you well on your journey. You'll be better off without me."

She turned so he wouldn't see her cry. She wanted to stay, so badly. But pursuing her own happiness always made things worse. What right did she have to such things considering all she was and all she had done? What mattered was saving Madoka. She was alive, which meant that she was out there somewhere, lost and in danger. Madoka had a loving family and a bright future. Madoka was the one who deserved happiness, not a freak like herself. Every part of her being had to be devoted to that task. Anything less was a betrayal. Her adventure here had taught her that.

She heard a strange sound. When she looked up, she saw a dark vortex forming. That meant it was time for her to go. Her time here was over.

* * *

This was interesting. Very interesting. Xigbar didn't know the whole story, but this girl was quite a find. Though also concerning. Xehanort had unearthed a real gem, though he still wasn't entirely sure what her purpose was. On the surface she looked like your average teenage girl with magical powers. Nothing he hadn't seen a million times before on a million worlds. But there were so many interesting things beneath the surface.

He had quickly returned to base and questioned Young Xehanort. The smug punk was condescending as usual, and only revealed that Homura was involved with one of the new Princesses, who had also gone missing. But if that was the case, then why would the old man see to it himself? Finding a lost Princess might be a difficult quest, but there were plenty of other members of the organization who could perform it in his stead.

No, there had to be more to this story than was being let on. Xehanort was moving so incredibly hasty here, he hadn't even bothered to check where Sora was before sending the girl to Olympus. It was unlike his usually meticulous self.

This Homura was certainly a strange one herself. There was a lot of darkness within her, though it took a form he hadn't seen before. That transformation she had performed was full of curiosities.

Thankfully, she seemed to be leaving Sora of her own volition. He had his role to play, and Xigbar didn't want Homura driving him off-script.

But now, the million munny question: Was Xehanort still on script? He had to find out for sure, but he couldn't raise the old coots suspicions. As far as he knew, Braig was just a man obsessed with the Keyblade and willing to go to any lengths to have one.

More observation was necessary. Perhaps he could track down the errant Princess before anyone else did. That might answer some questions. But that was a journey and a half itself. Ah well, he'd been at this for ages, no use getting impatient now.

* * *

"So why are we still here?" Pete asked, as he followed Maleficent. From all accounts their business in this World was finished. There had been a moment of hope when he had unearthed the box, but according to Maleficent, it was the _wrong box_. Apparently, that right box would have some sort of 'Book of Prophecies' in it. He didn't see what was so important about it. Pete rarely read. Books were for nerds after all.

However, it did seem highly important to Maleficent. But if it it wasn't here, then why were they still on this World? Especially in the realm of the gods?

"_Silence, fool. I am observing._" Maleficent snapped as she looked out the window of the building the two of them were currently in.

"Observing what?" Pete stepped over to the window and then gasped. It was the black-haired girl from earlier!

"W-why are you obs-s-serving h-her?" He stammered.

"_She intrigues me..._"

"Really? To me she's… she's…" Pete remembered the distorted voice, glowing eyes, and unnatural flames. "_Scary..._"

Maleficent snarled. "_If I wanted your opinion, I would ask for it!_"

"S-sorry!" Pete shrunk away. Why did she always have to be so mean? "It's just, what's so intriguing about her anyways?"

"_Plenty of things. Her abilities are so very fascinating. She could be_ very _useful._"

"Useful for what? I thought we were going after that book? Does she know where it is?"

"_Not likely. However, I have many schemes, and it always helps to have more than one fuse lit._"

Maleficent chuckled as she opened a Dark Corridor and walked inside. Pete shuffled dejectedly after her. "Aww man. She never tells me anything!"

* * *

"No! Homura, that's not true!"

Homura's words filled him with dread, but even worse was what he could sense around her. Wisps of darkness swirled about Homura as she spoke. He was about to warn her when something even worse appeared. A Corridor of Darkness appeared out of the blue. He dropped into a fighting stance, expecting an Organization member to emerge. But none did. The portal just stood there. What was happening?

"What's going on?" He heard footsteps, and turned to see Homura walking to the portal. "Homura! Don't go in there! Homura!"

But she said nothing. She paid his words no heed. She didn't turn around. The Corridor closed and she was gone.

* * *

Homura marched through the darkness. It had been hard, but now, she could focus on what really mattered. The Devil, for all her arrogance, was correct. The last few years in her perfect world had softened her, made her forget how to concentrate on a goal and pursue it no matter what, her only redeeming quality. She supposed she could have thanked Sora and his friends for reminding her of that, but that was just a distraction. Eyes filled with determination, Homura kept walking.

_"You, Homura Akemi, are a demon!"_

Homura stopped and stared. A silhouette appeared in the distance, drawing ever close. Out of the gloom stepped Sayaka Miki. She wore her Puella Magi costume, a blue and white corset and miniskirt, mixed with thigh-high stockings, elbow gloves, and a flowing cape.

She held out her hand, and suddenly a cutlass was in her grip, pointed at Homura.

"I warned you! I told you this was bad! You've broken the Law of Cycles! You've ruined everything!" As she spoke, a greater shadow formed behind her. A gigantic mermaid clad in knights armor took shape. "Our salvation is lost because of you! You really are a devil!"

Homura took a step back. But then she realized that, this too, was a distraction. So she grit her teeth and kept walking.

"You took away our powers! Our knowledge! Left the world vulnerable!" Mami emerged from the darkness, also in her costume. Her arms were replaced with tentacle-like ribbons, each gripping muskets pointed at Homura. "You put everyone in danger and look what happened!"

Homura remained silent as she kept walking.

"You took away my happiness. My peace!" Nagisa appeared next to Mami, also in her costume. Her face was white and clown like, with razor sharp yellow teeth. "And for what? So you could play god? Who gave you the right?!"

The Sweets Witch slithered out of Nagisa's human form like a snake shedding its skin. It leered at Homura hungrily, its saliva dripping onto her shoulder.

Homura flicked the drool off of her and kept walking.

"Traitor!" This time Kyoko, however, her red hair was now literally fire. She rode atop a blazing nightmare horse and pointed her spear at Homura. "You never cared about any of us! You've just made everything worse!"

Homura suppressed the urge to flinch as she kept walking.

"Monster!"

"Liar!"

"Demon!"

"You ruined my life!"

"You killed everyone!"

"You'll pay for this!"

"This is all your fault!"

The accusations rang loudly through the darkness over, and over. More warped and distorted Puella Magi appeared, ones she barely recalled. They emerged from the shadows, their expressions hateful and their voices accusatory as they approached her.

Homura remained silent and kept walking. They weren't real. She kept repeating to herself over and over, even as her lip trembled. They weren't real.

"Crack baby! Crack baby!"

"Nobody loves you!"

"Freak!"

"Failure!"

"Good-for-nothing!"

"What can you expect from someone like her though?"

This time, it was her classmates from her old private school, before she moved to Mitakihara. They wore their fancy uniforms and had the faces of Clara dolls. They mocked her, ridiculed her. One of them even hurled a tomato, at her. The others followed suit, laughing and pelting her with fruit.

Clenching her fists, Homura ignored the barrage kept walking, only to find her progress stopped. The crowd had formed a circle around her, blocking her escape. Their accusations and insults were gone now, replaced with a dead silence. Footsteps could be heard in the distance. As they approached, the crowd gradually parted. A feeling of unearthly dread came over Homura as she heard those steps, drawing ever so closer. She prayed that what she feared wouldn't happen. She was let down.

Madoka Kaname stepped through the crowd. As she approached Homura, dark splotches covered her body, staining her pink dress black. Her arms elongated and turned into tentacles that dragged along the ground.

"Madoka… Please don't… I just wanted you to be happy! Please don't." Homura begged. Her strength faltered. Her legs felt weak. She collapsed to her knees, pleading over and over. "I did this for you."

"For me? _For me?_ You think I wanted this? You think I wanted everything you cursed me with? What's _wrong_ with you?" Madoka's voice was barely more than whisper, though it might as well have been the howling of a Titan to Homura's ears. "I never should have saved you. It was the worst mistake I ever made. _I hate you!_"

The crowd picked up again, their accusations and mockery drowning out Homura's protests. She covered her ears, but the noise grew louder and crueler. Finally, she took off running, closing her eyes and screaming at the top of her lungs. Where she was going she neither knew nor cared. She screamed and screamed until her throat was raw, and then she screamed more. Soon all the voices were drowned out. Eventually, she found she couldn't scream any more. She ran until she couldn't any longer. When she opened her eyes, she was alone in the void. The fruit stains were gone. None of the Puella Magi appeared to accuse her. None of her other selves arrived to mock and deride her. There was only the endless writhing darkness.

Homura realized at that moment that she had tripped and fallen while she was running. How clumsy of her. Picking herself up, she dried her tears and kept walking.

And she kept walking.

And she kept walking.

And she kept walking...

* * *

_Thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding!_

_~Dragonexx_


	22. Twilight's View

**Chapter 22**

**Twilight's View**

* * *

Madoka smiled. Her mother worked late tonight, but not too late, so they were lucky that she didn't have to miss dinner. The entire family came together to enjoy dad's cooking: grilled fish and rice in a lemon sauce! Yum!

"So? How was school today?" Tomohisa asked his daughter.

After swallowing a big bite, Madoka launched into her explanation. "Well, it started off kinda normal, there was this thing between Sayaka and Hitomi about Kyosuke, and it was upsetting a bit, but then I got to have lunch with Homura. That was really fun, and it really picked up my mood."

"Ever since she transferred, it seems like that Homura is the only thing on your mind." Her father said.

"Ham-rah! Ham-rah!" Tatsuya said as he picked at the rice.

"And it's spreading." Junko said. Everyone laughed a bit at that.

"I guess, she's just so fun to be around. We hit it off really well and really understand each other! We have so much in common! She's so sweet and kind! She's really great. I like her a lot!"

"I'd like to meet her." Junko said. "Why don't you invite her over for dinner tomorrow?"

"Yeah, that sounds like an excellent idea!" Tomohisa said.

"Well… we uh... already have plans tomorrow..."

"Oh?" Junko gave a sly grin. "So you're already dating?"

Madoka's blushed hard. "N-no, it's not like that! She was in the hospital for a long time, and missed a lot of school, so she's really struggling in her classes. So we're going to go to the library to study and help her catch up!"

"Still sounds like a date to me! As you peruse through the books, thinking the other's thoughts are on the material, only to reach for something at the same time. Your hands touch, and you meet each other's gaze, only to see the passion blazing in their eyes and-"

"_Mama!_" Madoka was certain that her entire face had turned as pink as her hair. There was a moment of silence, before everyone at the table laughed, even Tatsuya.

"If you think that's risque, you should hear how your father and I met."

"I don't think either of them are old enough for that." Tomohisa chided his wife in a half-serious manner..

"What's that mean?" Madoka asked.

"When your older." Both her parents said with a wink and grin towards each other. That really sent Madoka's mind spiraling with all the possibilities.

Fortunately, it was all forgotten when Tatsuya suddenly shouted. "Risky! Risky!"

"Also a word for when your older." Tomohisa said, and everyone laughed again.

The rest of the meal continued, with Junko talking about her day and then Tomohisa related his experience of taking Tatsuya to his doctor appointment. After the meal was finished, Madoka found herself yawning.

"It is pretty late." Tomohisa said. "We all need our rest."

"And you don't want to be tired for your date with Homura tomorrow!"

"Mama! It's not a date!" Madoka protested, but Junko only grinned in response as she headed towards her bedroom.

Madoka went to hers and quickly changed into her pajamas. As she climbed into bed she wondered if the term 'date' was more appropriate than she initially believed. Despite all the joking, Madoka had to admit that she couldn't wait for tomorrow. Thoughts of spending more time with Homura softly lulled her to sleep.

* * *

Madoka awoke, first to her usual morning tiredness, then to confusion. When she turned, she saw Sayaka asleep next to her. What was Sayaka doing in her bed? They weren't having a sleepover, were they? She couldn't recall anything of the sort.

Then she saw another bed next to hers and noticed Mami and Nagisa were sleeping in it. Why was there another bed in her room? Then she saw the couch were Kyoko was snoring away on. She didn't have a couch in her room either. But… this wasn't her room. It was a hotel room. Where were Mama and Papa?

As Madoka placed her hands to her head, she felt something on her cheek. And then it all came back to her. She gasped and leaped out of the bed, rushing into the bathroom to examine herself in the mirror.

Sure enough, they were there. The rough scar tissue on the left side of her face. It was real. It was all real. Her family was dead. Her entire world was dead. They were on a completely different world.

Madoka leaned forwards, feeling a pain in her chest. Her eyes began to blur, and she felt hot tears run down her face again. She had failed to save them. She had run off without telling Papa, and now he and Tatsuya were dead.

The tears didn't last as long as yesterday, and she managed to force herself back up. After wiping her eyes, she noticed a shadow. She turned to see Nagisa standing at the entrance of the bathroom.

"You're awake?" Madoka asked.

"You were crying again." The younger girl observed.

"It's fine… I'm fine." Madoka said. She tried to inject confidence into her voice, but was certain that she failed miserably.

Nagisa rushed over to Madoka and embraced her.

"T-thanks." Madoka leaned over and returned the hug.

"We can go wake up Sayaka." Nagisa said.

"No. Please, don't tell her."

"Why? You don't look well."

"I'm just groggy, and I don't want to worry anyone needlessly. I'm fine. Promise."

Nagisa didn't look convinced, but nodded.

"Your hair is a mess." Madoka said. "Want me to comb it?"

"I would love that."

They pulled up some chairs and Madoka got to work. It was fairly relaxing, all things considered, and Nagisa seemed to like the sensation, leaning back as Madoka ran the comb and brush through her long white hair. Madoka felt a twinge of jealousy. She wished she could pull off long hair like Nagisa's. And then again, her thoughts turned to Homura. She had nice hair too. She had also come up again in her dream. And it sounded like they were… friends? Maybe more than that? Again, it had felt so real. Like a memory more than a dream.

But, they weren't that close in reality. They had barely spoken to each other until the Heartless attacked. Homura was an enemy in real life. Though, even there, looking back, she had seemed so very sad. It bothered Madoka in a way she wasn't sure how to explain.

"Hey, Madoka?" Nagisa asked, drawing Madoka out of her pondering.

"Yes?"

"What do you think about all this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like, all the things that have happened recently. It's been only a day for us, but a few more for you."

"It's… all so big. I honestly don't know what to think. At first, all I had on my mind was summer vacation. I'd be hanging out with you guys, going on a trip with my family. And now..." Madoka paused.

"Too bad it couldn't have happened earlier in the year." Nagisa quickly said.

"Why?"

"Because if were going to save the world, at the least it could come with an excuse to skip school!" She laughed. "Now we have to waste our vacation days."

"Yeah, I really needed a break back then." Madoka said, laughing along with her. There was another moment of silence, before Nagisa spoke again.

"You know? At least, if we have to travel around the multiverse to save our World, the five of us still get to be together."

"Yeah. I guess that's one silver lining." Madoka said. She finished working out all the tangles in Nagisa's hair, and did up her pigtails. "All done!"

As she said those words, she heard sounds from the bedroom. The others were waking up.

"Madoka?" She heard Sayaka ask. "Madoka? Where are you?"

She sounded worried. Both of them hurried out of the bathroom.

"Right here!" Madoka said. "We were just doing our hair."

"Ah. Good idea! If you don't mind..." Mami said.

"Nah, go ahead!" Sayaka said. "Mine's simple. I won't take long."

"Mine won't take long either." Mami said as she entered and closed the door behind her.

Mami's preferred hairstyle was more complex than the others in their group, though she always seemed to pull it off so perfectly. Madoka supposed she must have had a lot of practice.

"Madoka… how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." She said. This time it sounded more convincing. At least the puffiness of her eyes had worn off. "How'd you sleep last night?"

"Alright. You?"

"Just fine. Some normal dreams." Madoka said. She didn't like lying, but making Sayaka worry felt worse.

"And done!" Mami said. She stepped out of the bathroom fully dressed, and with her hair already done in it's fancy drill style. Perfect, as usual.

"Yeah, were about ready to get moving ourselves." Sayaka said.

"Well… most of us it seems." Nagisa said, looking at Kyoko still snoring on the couch.

"Still asleep?" Madoka asked.

"Well, then I guess we'll just have to go on without her." Mami said.

"What?!" Everyone exclaimed.

Mami gave a gentle smile that still seemed to hold a hint of mischief. "Oh, don't worry, we'll come back for her. After we've eaten breakfast!"

"Wha-what? Breakfast? I'm up, I'm up!" Kyoko shouted.

* * *

The void seemed to go on forever. The darkness felt thick, almost like pushing through a patch of very tall grass. In spite of this, Homura forged on through the gloom until the miasma faded. She then found herself standing in a very bizarre location.

She was on a balcony that was part of a massive white castle. The entire location looked incredibly eerie. The castle was oddly shaped, and bone white. Strangely shaped towers jutted out of it from it like the fingers of a skeleton.

Looking up, she saw a sky obscured by red clouds. Beneath that was a sprawling modern city, so large she couldn't see the edge of it, lit by glowing neon lights and LED signs. The castle she was in appeared to float weightlessly over a glowing green pit in the center of the city.

"So… welcome to the World that Never Was!" A voice said behind her.

Homura turned to see a man in a black coat. He was middle-aged, with numerous scars on his face. One of his eyes was yellow, while the other was covered in an eye-patch. His graying hair was tied back in a ponytail, and his ears were slightly pointed.

"Who are you?"

"The name's Xigbar. Welcome to the Organization."

* * *

Even up close, this girl didn't look like much, but he had seen her in action. There was definitely a lot of power hidden beneath that unassuming surface.

"So, how was you're little excursion on Olympus? Did you find what you needed? Action? Excitement? Any twists in the tale?" He already knew the answer, but her reaction would be informative.

"Madoka is alive." Homura replied flatly.

"Ah! Some good news! Congratulations!" Xigbar cheered.

"Where is Xehanort?" She asked, looking away.

"Dunno where the old coot's gotten off to, but you have me to keep you company! How's about a treat to celebrate your success! I think there's some sea-salt ice cream somewhere here..."

"Not interested." Came Homura's flat reply. "If she's alive, I need to get going."

No emotion. Or, more accurately to say, guarded emotions. Suppressed beneath the surface. She had been very expressive at times on Olympus, mostly in the presence of Sora or when alone, but that was probably a given considering whom she was traveling with. As much as Xigbar hated to admit it, Sora's ability to connect with others was awe-inspiring. But that wasn't part of the plan. Sora had his own Hearts to connect to, and Xigbar's job was to make sure he and everybody else stayed on track.

* * *

"Hey, why with the hastiness?" Xigbar said, he then grinned nonchalantly. "Don't you want to meet the other members? Granted, many of them are out on missions, but there's currently a few here right now."

Homura resisted the urge to roll her eyes. This guy came across like someone way too old trying to present themselves as 'one of the kids'. She'd seen his type before, and their kindness was alway fake. Still, she supposed humoring him wouldn't hurt. "Fine," she sighed.

"Right this way." He gestured, leading her through several hallways. As they walked, Homura's skeleton comparisons felt more and more apt. The entire castle felt skeletal. There didn't seem to be much in the way of decorations, only the strange symbol that appeared to be a cross mixed with an inverted heart. There were no paintings, no plants, tapestries, vases, statues, or any other sorts of luxuries. It was entirely minimal. Sterile. This place was clearly constructed with a purpose in mind, function over form. In that way, it reminded her of her old apartment, the one she had lived in before the Goddess subsumed Madoka. She'd discarded such trivial notions as aesthetics to focus on her quest. Perhaps those that designed this place thought similarly, she mused.

Eventually, Xigbar led her to what appeared to be some sort of lounge. Here, there was furniture, though it was the same white color as the rest of the castle and extremely minimal in its design. Even the potted flowers were completely white.

There were three other occupants of the room, all wearing black coats like Xigbar. One was a man with long dirty blonde hair. He was sitting at a couch looking intently at a holographic screen displaying scientific data of some kind. He didn't appear to react to Homura's arrival. On the other side of the room was a woman with bright blonde hair, reclining on a sofa. She was casually tossing a yellow dagger back and forth between her hands. The third was a dark skinned young man with silver hair, looking about the same age as Homura or maybe a little older. He was currently staring out the window, seemingly paying no attention to went on behind him. Homura turned to see that Xigbar had apparently vanished before turning back to the others.

"So, whose brat is this?" The woman said, turning towards Homura.

"I would assume it's a new member. Obviously." Said the man, sounding irritated at being interrupted from his studies.

"Ugh, where do they find them all? A kid? Seriously?" The blonde woman said. She looked at her with an expression of disgust like Homura was something nasty she had stepped in. It unpleasantly reminded her of the kids at Homura's school before Mitakihara. "You don't look like much."

Homura decidedly instantly that she disliked her. But she wasn't about to start an argument and give her the satisfaction she probably wanted.

"What, got nothing to say, or are you not even capable of talking? They really must be scraping the bottom of the barrel here if they're bringing in some loser like you!"

Now Homura _really_ didn't like her. She turned away from the blonde girl and headed towards the boy staring out the window.

"_Hey!_ Don't ignore me!"

"Will you keep it down, Larxene? Some of us have work to do!"

"Oh like anyone really cares about your stupid project, Vexen." Larxene shot back.

"What I do is vital to ensuring a true victory. But I shouldn't expect such a pettifogging mind like your own to understand."

"Oh wow! A grown man playing with dolls! So important!"

"I rest my case."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

Homura put them both out of her mind and approached the boy.

He turned to greet her. "Can I help you?"

"I'm looking for Xehanort."

"Speaking."

Homura paused at this. Though vastly apart in age, there were a lot of similarities between him and the other Xehanort. Was he a son? Grandson?

"The, um… older Xehanort."

"Ah. I believe he's in the library at the moment. I can show you the way, if you like." Unlike the other two, this young Xehanort's voice was even and calm, and his expression was neutral. He gestured with his hand. "Come with me."

* * *

Despite Kyoko's protests, breakfast was kept quick and simple. Everyone was anxious to get moving, to continue to the next step of their quest. They had a wizard to meet with and a lot of questions that needed answering.

However, while walking through Twilight Town, they passed a structure, and a high pitched voice called out to them.

"Wow, I didn't expect to see another one here, kupo!"

The group turned to see a strange creature standing in front of a stall. It was small, and furry, looking like strange mixture of cat, rabbit, bat, and fairy. Between it's long ears was a tall antennae that connected to a fuzzy red ball.

"Aww… you're so cute!" Nagisa squeed.

"That's a Moogle." Said a familiar voice behind them. Hayner and his friends had arrived.

"My name is Elmina, kupo," the Moogle introduced himself. "We Moogles are experts at synthesis and crafting. Some of us also run shops."

"What did you mean by… another one?" Madoka asked.

"Another Keyblade Wielder, kupo!"

"Wait, how did you know?"

"Moogle's eye, kupo! I can tell! May I see it?"

"Um… sure." Madoka held out her hand, and Crystal Clarity appeared in a dance of flower petals. Even now, it still felt so perfect in her grip.

"Now that's a Keyblade with a lot of potential. I wish I could help improve its power, kupo, but I'm not that skilled at Synthesis." Elmina said.

"Synthesis?" Sayaka asked. "What's that?"

"Combining magical materials to create or improve magic items, kupo. I'm not that skilled at it though. But if you're traveling from World to World, you might meet some Moogles who are. You'll likely come to a city called Radiant Garden at some point. The Moogle there is a master of Synthesis, kupo. Ask them."

"I'll be sure to..."

"Hey, that doesn't mean I don't have anything that might be able to help you on your way! I run a store, kupo! We have lots of gear, like Potions. Adventurers really need Potions!"

"Potions? Okay, this really is an RPG!" Kyoko said, grinning. "Do they do what I think they do?"

"Drink them and they restore your vitality, healing your injuries."

"I knew it! What else ya' got?"

"Potions are about the only concoction I have at the moment." Elmina said. "I do have other things that might be useful for your quest."

"Like what?"

"Well, for example, how are you planning on carrying all this gear in the first place, kupo?" The Moogle reached towards a shelf, and pulled out an item that looked like pouch of some sort.

"Introducing the Inventory!"

"Really?" Kyoko said, grinning even wider.

"Top of the line of Mooglecraft, kupo! This extraspacial pouch allows you to hold much much more in it than it's meager size would indicate. Sure, there are similar bags that can hold more, but, this keeps the necessary items at the ready." Elmina seemed to be getting into a sort of excited 'sales pitch' mode. "When your fighting a Malboro and wind up poisoned, do you want to waste time rummaging through a bag for an Antidote while the toxins wreak havoc on your body, kupo? No, you're a pragmatic adventurer! You want what you need ready to go when you need it. And thus, the Inventory! Merely indicate certain items to be prepared beforehand, and then pull them out of those slots on the go. No need for wasting precious time in the middle of combat!"

"He certainly does make a good pitch." Nagisa said.

"They're only 100 Munny apiece too! Don't need to worry about fashion either! Stick one in an enclosed space on you and that will become the Inventory, kupo! You can use it with pockets, sleeves, cleavage, hats, bags, backpacks, satchels, pant legs, anything that could work with your style."

The Moogle clearly had them sold on it. Mami bought one for each of them, as well as several potions. As she was discussing the price with Elmina, something in the shop caught Madoka's attention. It wasn't anything special, just a notebook, with an accompanying set of pencils and erasers.

"Something caught your eye, kupo?"

"That sketchbook." Madoka said.

"Ah! Of course. I don't see why not." Mami said.

As the group walked towards the train station, Madoka looked over the sketchbook. The cover had a depiction of Twilight Town's clock tower on it. Inside the pages were blank, though the inside of the cover had a spot to place tools like pencils and erasers, which Madoka took advantage of. She then decided to try out the Inventory thing. After placing some potions into it, she also tried it with the sketchbook. Though it seemed to big for the pocket of her jacket, it surprisingly went in easy. It really was convenient.

When she looked up, the group had arrived at the outside of the train station. Though this should have been pleasant, something felt off to Madoka. She felt anxious. She looked around, to see that the others were feeling uneasy as well.

"Going off on your little adventure, I see."

A raspy, yet seemingly light-hearted voice filled the air, but it set off the alarm bells in Madoka's head even more. The group turned to see a man covered head to toe in a black coat. The hood obscured his facial features, but they could tell he was smiling nonetheless.

Mami put herself in front of the group. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"Me? Oh I was just in town and happened to stumble upon you. Then I decided 'why not take a look at the new Keyblade Wielder while I'm here?' So here I am."

Pence glared at the man. "You're from that… black coat group, right? The ones who are Sora's enemies?"

The men looked at Pence in silence, causing the young boy to take a step back in fear.

The man turned to Madoka and the others. "Yeah," the man continued in a jovial voice. "I just wanted to let you know that you shouldn't really be heading to that Wizard's place. He won't lift a finger to help you out, and he'll get you roped in to his problems. At best, you'll get some mumbo-jumbo speech about the responsibility of a Keyblade wielder, and wouldn't that be a waste of time?"

Kyoko snarled. "Thanks for the head's up, tall, dark and edge-lordy, but we'll take our chances."

Even though Madoka didn't have her Keyblade in her hand, she could still feel Crystal Clarity reacting to this man's presence in a similar way to Maleficent. He was an enemy, one looking for an excuse to pick a fight with them. But why?

"If you wanted to help your world so badly, you really ought to just come with me. Unlike that dumb old wizard, I've got plenty of time to help you out. Hell, I can help you find Maleficent, and we can take her out together. What do you say?" The man held out his hand towards the group.

"Guys," Hayner said to the group. "Don't trust him. These black coat guys? They've hurt some of our friends. They're just bad news. And dangerous."

Madoka nodded and turned to the cloaked man. "Sorry, but we must refuse."

She tried to bow politely, but her tension was leaking into her voice. The man put his hands on his side for a second, then shrugged. "Well, I expected that. Plan B it is!" He snapped his fingers.

Madoka jumped back and yelped as several laser shots fired into the space she just was. Mami immediately shot three muskets in the direction of the shot, and a strange creature with a purple bodysuit and grey skin fell from its perch on a nearby building. It disappeared, only for several more of them to appear by the black coat man holding crossbows and floating in the air.

As the the girls got out their weapons, several more silvery beings surrounded them. They looked like silver jackets that had come to life. They weaved in and out, dancing around the group in a circle.

"I'll just have to see what makes you tick, Madoka." The man whispered before a dark vortex engulfed him and vanished.

* * *

The younger Xehanort led Homura through the castle. As they walked, Homura took in the sights. Though she initially admired the castle's efficient design, the place felt more eerie the more she walked. The place was beginning to feel… hollow. They passed nobody else on their way to their destination. The sound of their footsteps echoed as the only sound in the place. It was... uncomfortable.

Homura placed these thoughts out of her mind, as the Young Xehanort gestured towards a room. "He should be in there."

"Thank you." She said, but he had already departed. Homura ran her hands through her hair and then pushed open the door, leading to another white room. Here, there were several shelves stacked with various books. Xehanort was currently looking through several books at once, but closed them when Homura approached.

"Ah, Homura. I must confess you are back sooner than I had anticipated. I take it your mission was fruitful then? Do we have any information on Madoka?"

"I suppose you could call it that. I searched throughout the World, but could find no trace of her there. After that, I encountered Maleficent as you said." Homura paused, as she recalled how horribly that encounter had gone, before gritting her teeth and aggressively forcing the memory down. She couldn't afford to let something like that distract her. "She mentioned encountering Madoka prior, though she and Pete believed they had left her for dead. This was disproved when I questioned Hades, who revealed that she is alive. Though I still do not know her whereabouts."

"Then it was a success, regardless! Now that we know young Madoka still lives, we can proceed with the difficult task of locating her and saving her. There is a World we must visit, one where we will be able to find the information we seek. Are you ready to depart?"

Homura was about to affirm, when she recalled her experience in the dark portal earlier.

"I'm… not sure. "

"Is something the matter?" Xehanort asked, raising an eyebrow.

Homura bit her lip. "Are we using the portals?"

"Ah, that would explain it. One must be cautious when traversing the Corridors of Darkness. To those who have yet to master it, the Darkness can eat away at the body and mind. I should have a black coat made for you."

Homura recalled the cloaks that all the others were wearing. She had thought it was a uniform of sorts.

"What for?"

"They have the property of protecting the wearer from the effects of exposure to the Dark Realm. Though don't worry, we won't be traveling using the corridors. They would be ineffective in getting us to where we need to go." Instead, Xehanort summoned his Keyblade, and pointed it at the the library door at the entrance. A white beam shot out of it and the door glowed.

"After you."

Homura followed his directions and opened the door, only to find something completely different than that castle on the other side moments before. Now, she was in a sprawling, lively city with strangely designed buildings. Creatures of all shapes and sizes walked the streets, some human and others… not so much. Wares of every kind were being sold here: jewels, potions, clothes and strange fruit. Homura thought she had seen everything, but even she had to gasp in awe. Out of curiosity, she looked up, only to see that, rather than a sky, more of the city was arching over her. In fact, it looked as though the city was built in the inside of a ring.

Xehanort, smiling knowingly, followed behind her. He closed the door behind him, walked in front of Homura and grinned. He then lifted his arms, as if he were a stage performer, and spoke. "Welcome to Sigil, City of Doors."

* * *

_So yeah, not limiting my self to Disney/Square Enix worlds. __Sigil works really well with Kingdom Hearts when you think about it. It's a world situated perfectly in balance between light and darkness and order and chaos. The doorways in the city can lead to perhaps anywhere in the multiverse. People from all sorts of worlds come to the place to trade goods, ideas and philosophies. It's like the perfect place to add to Kingdom Hearts and I have a lot of plans for it. Sigil comes from Planescape, a D&D campaign setting dealing with multiversal travel and conflicting and connecting philosophies. Even if you don't play the tabletop game, I'd recommend trying to get your hands on the CRPG Planescape: Torment. It's a really beautiful and flavorful game, definitely worth a play. _

__Thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding!__

__~Dragonexx__


	23. A Bolt of Inspiration

**Chapter 23**

**A Bolt of Inspiration**

* * *

As Madoka dodged yet another volley of laser fire, she had one question on her mind.

_Just what are these things? _

She had first thought that they were Heartless, but they felt different. For one thing, these creatures were clothed in white rather than being wreathed in darkness, and they bore a different emblem, some sort of cross mixed with an inverted heart.

Most looked like they were wearing some sort of white jumpsuit, though their form was only vaguely humanoid. The limbs and fingers were elongated, and they moved with an elastic sort of gait that was just _unsettling_ to look at. Others seemed to squirm through the air, as if moving through some sort of thick fluid.

There were two other different kinds of these creatures too. One type hung in the air perpendicular angle to the ground and carried some sort of crossbow like device in their hands. There was a final flash, and another one appeared, a creature clad in robes. It drew twin katanas from its sheaths and took a stance like a samurai.

"It's those white things again!" Pence said. The three of them backed away, hiding behind the staircase.

"Are these Heartless?" Kyoko asked while she conjured a spear.

"I don't think so." Madoka answered. They really did feel different from the Heartless. She summoned Crystal Clarity regardless.

"Be ready to fight!" Mami said, musket at the ready.

The samurai pointed its katana, and the others followed it's orders moving towards the attack. They didn't truly walk, they floated, slithered, elongated, or so many other disturbing forms of movement.

As one of the white creatures approached Madoka, she swung with her Keyblade. The monster twisted out of the way of the strike and then swung a tentacle like arm at her. Madoka backed away, but it had coiled it's body around her legs, tripping her.

She quickly rolled to the side as another one of the creatures floated over her. It was floating with its feet in the air, as if it were some sort of circus acrobat. It slashed wildly with its arms. At the same time, one of the crossbow-wielding ones opened fire, a red bolt aimed not at where she was, but where she was most likely to roll away from the hit. Madoka was forced to parry all of the silvery creature's swings as the two ganged up on her.

"Madoka!" Sayaka charged at the silvery creature with her cutlass and slashed at it, but it barely avoided getting cut in half.

These creatures were frustratingly hard to hit, slithering out of the way of her swings and then striking back all in the same motion with swipes and headbutts, forcing Madoka to keep backing away, while also constantly keeping a look out for attempts to trip her.

When she could spare a glance, she saw that the others weren't faring much better. Sayaka, who had leaped in to save her, was now in the same position she was earlier. Kyoko was having a better time engaged with the samurai-looking one, as her spear's length kept the creature at bay, but it was only a matter of time before another creature was able to circle around and flank her. Mami attempted to shoot at a the crossbow wielding creatures, but they simply teleported out of the way. Nagisa stood behind Mami, giving her cover fire, but her shots were far too slow to hit anything.

_I have to do something_! Madoka thought. She called upon her aura, letting it energize her. She leaped into the air, swinging around one of the pillars at the station's entrance, and came crashing back in the middle of a group of the strange creatures. An explosion of pink energy burst outwards, knocking several of them back.

They weren't down however. After recovering, they grouped up, looking between each other rapidly. Then they leaped aside as the Samurai came rushing towards Madoka.

She leaped away, bouncing off of a wall and came spinning back towards it like a drill. The Samurai was ready however, catching her attack between it's two swords, and then flipping. Madoka was sent crashing to the ground, rolling into the balcony guard. She regained her senses just in time to see the Samurai leap towards her. She rolled aside as its blades came slashing down, cutting cleanly into the concrete.

Madoka managed to roll to her feet, just in time to block a slash from the creatures katana. When it tried to strike with the second, she backed away, carefully keeping Crystal Clarity between her and the creature.

It struck a second time, and Madoka blocked the sequence of moves, backpedaling all the while. It broke off the assault, and then paused. The two of them circled around each other, the creature ever so often making an attack, from a different angle each time. She couldn't tell considering the mask it was wearing, but it seemed to be… thinking? Analyzing her?

This creature, it was very different from the Heartless with the magma blades. If she had to make a comparison, she'd take a page out of Kyoko's book and compare it to the difference between fighting a CPU and a player in a video game.

The Heartless, for all its strength, felt robotic compared this this creature, which felt like she was fighting an actual person.

Its movements, though unnerving and creepy, had a certain character to them, like that of a person. Its strikes didn't appear to be immediately going for the killing blow now, but were instead testing her guard, feeling out its opponent before committing to an attack plan.

Which it then carried out. It sliced with its swords in a flurry of attacks that Madoka had trouble keeping up with, even with her aura augmenting her speed and reactions.

When an opening presented itself, Madoka leaped away. She saw that the others weren't faring so well either. Nagisa was tripped by one of the jumpsuited creatures, a blast from her trumpet going wild. One of the crossbow wielders aimed it's weapon at the downed girl, only for Mami to leap towards it. She kicked it in the head, causing the red bolt to miss and the creature to careen back. Midair she spun, and produced a musket.

However, as she fired, the creature warped away, and Mami's shot missed. She hit the ground and grabbed Nagisa, pulling her out of the way of a shot from the other crossbow wielder.

When Madoka moved to try and help them, one of the creatures rammed her, sending her sprawling to the ground, where it attempted to wrap its body around her like a snake. As she was busy struggling with that creature, she saw the Samurai engage with Sayaka.

She too, was struggling to keep up with the creature, it easily parried her blows, and countered, landing strikes against her. On her arm, on her leg. Sayaka collapsed to the ground.

Kyoko tried to jump to her aid, but the Samurai simply dodged out of the way and then kicked her in the head, sending her sprawling to the ground. When she tried to rise, the creature thrust with it's blade, directly through Kyoko's thigh. She screamed in pain and collapsed, attempting to crawl away.

With both of them downed, it stalked towards them, raising it's swords, intending to finish them off.

Madoka struggled, but the creature still had her legs entangled. It was going to kill them! It was going to kill them and there wasn't anything she could do. She hurled her Keyblade at the monster, but it easily batted it aside. As she returned it to her hand, the Samurai drew closer. She needed to do something. Anything. She needed some way to… _strike_.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl. There was a brief flash, and she saw an image of Ramuh flash briefly before her eyes, the Esper suffused with lightning. A jolt of energy ran through Madoka. As her Keyblade returned to her grip. She felt raw energy crackling in her hands. It ran down the length of her Keyblade as she raised it into the air. As she did so, a word came to her mind. "_Thunder!_"

A brilliant bolt of yellow lightning came crashing down from above, striking the Samurai just as it was raising its swords for the coup de grace. There was a blinding flash, and the Samurai collapsed to the ground, swords dropping from it's hands as electricity crackled across its body.

The jumpsuited creatures immediately abandoned their attacks and rushed to the Samurai's aid, including the one grappling with Madoka. They helped it to its feet and backed away.

That energetic feeling was still bouncing around inside Madoka, almost demanding some sort of release. She gave it one when she looked at the crossbow wielders still fighting Nagisa and Mami. She pointed Crystal Clarity at one of them and shouted "_Thunder!_" Again. This time, electricity erupted from the tip of the Keyblade, lancing out towards one of them, blasting it out of the sky.

At this, the other creatures looked among each other. There appeared to be some sort of consensus between them. They then were all engulfed within white spheres which then vanished, leaving only the Samurai behind briefly. It looked at Madoka and a strange feeling came over her.

* * *

_Are you the one she seeks?_

* * *

"Wha-?" Before she could even register what had happened, the Samurai vanished.

With the threat gone, Madoka dismissed Crystal Clarity and rushed over to the fallen Sayaka and Kyoko.

"Holy shit! Since when could you do _that?!_" Sayaka asked, stunned.

"Yeah, would have been nice to know if you could go all inFamous on their asses." Kyoko added with a grunt.

"Since just now, apparently." Madoka said, still not sure herself how she had done that. Or what exactly 'that' was. Perhaps it was Ramuh helping her again?

She turned to see Nagisa and Mami approaching. Mami looked both upset and relieved when her gaze met Madoka's though the expression changed to a smile so fast that Madoka wasn't sure if she hadn't just imagined it.

"Is everyone okay?" Mami asked.

"Sayaka's hurt! So are Kyoko and Madoka!" Nagisa said.

"I'll heal on my own." Sayaka said. "Why don't you try one of those Potions?"

"Yeah, sure." Madoka said. Reaching into her pocket, she withdrew one of the vials and drank it. It was mildly sweet tasting but watery, like a soft drink. As she drank it, near instantly, her bruises began to vanish. She saw Kyoko doing the same, her cuts healing.

"Ahh... that feels good." Kyoko relaxed.

"Okay, that's all fine and dandy, but seriously how did you _do_ that?" Sayaka said, as her own wounds glowed and healed.

Madoka looked down at Crystal Clarity. It looked normal now (insofar as a key-shaped weapon where the striking head was a flower could be considered 'normal'), but moments ago it had been crackling with lightning. "I… I'm not sure. That samurai thing was about to finish you guys off, and I was tied up. I was desperately trying to do something. Then… it felt like something… surged through me. I'm not sure how I it happened though."

Mami frowned and looked away briefly. Nagisa spoke up with a suggestion "Well, didn't Ramuh say that the Keyblade could be used as a conduit for magic?"

"Magic?" This sent Madoka thinking. She had used… _magic_? Thinking back, she supposed all of the things she had done were 'magic' but she had always thought of magic in the sense of casting a spell. Here, however, she had done basically that. _Thunder._ The very thought of the word sent a jolt through her body, almost literally like a sudden shock.

"That was amazing!" Came a voice from behind her.

Madoka turned to see Hayner and the others emerging from their hiding spot.

"What were those things?" Mami asked.

"Don't know really. Those white things and those cloaked dudes showed up a few times when Sora and Mickey were around, but we never got the full story."

"Shame. One more thing to ask the wizard about, I guess." Nagisa said.

"Yeah, we should get going now." Mami said.

Before they entered the train station, Madoka turned back, looking over Twilight Town. Though she hadn't been here long, she had to admit she liked this place. It was peaceful and laid back in a way that felt in stark contrast to how hectic things could be back in Mitakihara.

As she thought this, she felt a tingling sensation in her hand, and a strange feeling in her chest. There was a burst of light and flower petals, and Crystal Clarity appeared in her hands, completely unbidden.

As she watched, the Keyblade was engulfed in light, and when that light faded, it's appearance had changed! The weapon now flowed like some sort of ornate sculpture, with four blue strands spiraling around each other towards a head where they held four crystals. The hilt of the blade looked like it was made of wood inlaid with gold, and at the end of the chain was a bat like the ones used in the struggle tournament.

"What the heck?!" Sayaka asked.

"Woah! Did you just get an upgrade? Again? Seriously?"

Madoka focused on the blade, and as she did, a name rang through her mind. _Eternal Struggle._

* * *

Xigbar hadn't even intended to start anything serious in Twilight Town. His only intention was to visit the manor to inspect some other things, only to run into Madoka Kaname by chance. And how productive an excursion it had been!

Tailing her had been child's play with his skills. She was so _interesting_. A Princess of Heart who was also a Keyblade Wielder? Two at once. He had his suspicions before, but now he knew there was more to this tale than the 'Norts were letting on.

He wondered what he should do about this. She was very clearly a novice, only just discovering the basics of her abilities. Likely no more than a few days into her adventure. But he knew from long experience that it wouldn't stay that way. She had already gathered a group of companions around herself. When facing adversity with friends, a Key Bearer tended to develop with a speed that still managed to shock him to this day. A capability that was as impressive as it was irritating.

As he mused, he heard the sound of the lesser Nobodies arriving. Though it might not be noticeable to some, Xigbar could tell by the subtleties in their movements that some of them were injured.

His thoughts returned to Madoka. Key Bearers had almost limitless potential. He had seen them become legendary champions, superheroes, kings, unstoppable conquerors, religious paragons, enlightened scholars, tyrants, genius inventors, revolutionaries, destroyers and so many other types of great figures. Especially as it seemed that this Madoka and her gaggle of friends were headed towards the old master Yen Sid. He could nip this in the bud right now. The Nobodies had regrouped and they could attack again, and if he joined in, victory would be assured.

But… she also intrigued him. Throw a Pure Heart into the mix, and there was no telling what unique things she could accomplish. Those kinds of Hearts were perhaps the strangest of all. He first thought about just killing her. However, the shard of light would take time to manifest in another Heart, and that could throw off the main plan. He couldn't put that in jeopardy after coming this far.

Capturing her for himself? That may have been an option if Plan A had worked, but he was always pressed for time. Even if it had succeeded he wouldn't have been able to keep her for long. Things were moving fast, and he there wasn't much time where he could act unobserved. If he was going to capture her, he would have to involve Xemnas and "Ansem." And that would mean handing her over to Xehanort.

However, he didn't want to just hand her over to the old man just yet. A Princess with a Keyblade was an impressive, once-in-a-blue-moon circumstance, but it still didn't warrant the kind of response Xehanort had given. Giving her over to the old man wasn't desirable when he didn't know all the details of what Xehanort was planning. And having known Xehanort for so many years, he knew the old coot was planning something. That, or he had finally gone senile.

Regardless, at this stage, observation was key. Best to allow things to play out. Letting Madoka get more powerful was a price he was willing to pay for more information.

_My liege. What are your orders?_

Ah yes, the Nobodies. Sad, but he couldn't allow the other members of Organization XIII to know what he'd been doing. At least it'd be easy to write these mooks off as losses. The Organization's enemies were active after all.

Xigbar drew his arrowguns and opened fire with incredible speed. Wounded as they were, the Nobodies were unable to react and quickly perished, their bodies fading away.

* * *

The purchase of the tickets went without a hitch, and now the blue train was waiting for them, ready to depart. Madoka looked around the place one last time, at the beautiful train station, and at the people they had met. Hayner, Pence and Olette were sticking around to see them off. They hadn't known each other for long, but they had really grown on her.

"We're gonna miss you!" Pence said.

"Same!" Sayaka replied. "Sadly we have to get going."

"I know! Be sure to come back and visit, if you have the time!" Olette said.

"Kick the bad guys butts for us!" Hayner said, pounding his fist.

"Sure thing!" Kyoko said with a grin.

The girls boarded the train, and as they sat down it began to move. The looked out the window to briefly see the trio waving them goodbye before the train exited the station.

The girls reclined in their seats, nobody had anything to say as the train traveled along the tracks. Eventually, Madoka summoned Crystal Clarity… no… Eternal Struggle to her hands and held it up. There was so much she didn't know. How her powers worked, why she had been chosen by the Keyblade. How she was going to go about saving her World.

The train would ferry them to the wizard Yen Sid. He was a retired Keyblade Master. If anyone could shed light on everything that was going on, it was someone like him. But she couldn't shake that feeling of apprehension. Who was that man? And what were those white creatures? They definitely weren't Heartless, they gave off a completely different vibe. She had a feeling that there was even more going on than she could imagine. She wanted to save her World, and get back the friends and family she had lost. But she recalled everything that she had been through, and considered all the things she had done in such a short span of time. Would they really be able to go back to their normal lives if they succeeded?

She then saw a flash from outside. When she looked out the window, she saw that she was no longer in Twilight Town. Now the train was traveling along a glowing set of tracks through space. A brilliant display of stars and auroras danced before them as the train ferried them to their destination.

* * *

____And thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding!____


	24. The Story so Far

**Chapter 24**

**The Story So Far**

* * *

"Well… it's no Hogwarts." Kyoko observed as they stepped off the train.

"Still impressive though." Nagisa said as she ran across the grass, spinning excitedly. "We're on a _floating island_!"

Madoka had to agree. The train had deposited them on an island hovering above a sea of some sort of orange fog in which other hill shaped islands could be seen. The island was dotted with trees and bushes. On the other end was a large crooked tower, there were many smaller towers branching off of it, but the largest one had it's roof decorated with stars and moons.

"Yeah, let's go!" Sayaka rushed across the grass, towards the front door.

"Sayaka have some manners! We're guests here!" Mami chided, following after her.

As Madoka stepped forwards, she heard a strange sound behind her. When she turned to investigate, she saw the train that had brought them vanishing in a flash of light.

"What the… where'd it go?!" Kyoko asked.

"Looks like there's no going back." Madoka said.

"Seems so."

They joined the others at the tower entrance, where Sayaka was currently knocking on the door repeatedly.

"I think they heard you." Mami said. "Now-"

At that moment, the door began to open. Standing in front of them was a small girl with dark hair. She looked slightly younger than Nagisa and was wearing pink attire.

"Already? Those last guys just left and already there's new people? Unlisted address my ass. If you're here to sell something, we're not interested."

"Huh?" Sayaka asked, confused.

"Are you… Yen Sid? We were told to seek out the wizard Yen Sid." Mami asked.

"Your here to see the wizard, huh?" She said. "Well… come with me, I suppose."

The girl gestured, and headed back into the tower. Following her, Madoka saw that the entry hall was actually fairly small. Just a little open space leading to a staircase, from which footsteps could be heard.

Two more girls descended. One was a heavyset blonde-haired woman wearing a yellow bodysuit. The other was also blonde-haired though she was tall and thin, wearing a top cropped to show off her midriff, and a loin cloth and mismatched stockings.

"Did he forget something? He seemed like the type to forget something." Said the tall girl.

Madoka wondered who "he" was.

"No, it's new people. They're here to meet Yen Sid." Said the short girl.

"Huh, neat. Well, they certainly seem interesting." Said the heavyset one.

"So none of you are Yen Sid?" Nagisa asked.

"Wait, you haven't heard of us?" Said the tall one.

"Where are you from?" Said the heavyset one.

"Mitakihara?" Madoka answered.

"Never heard of it." The tall one said.

"Sounds like it's way out in the space-boonies." Said the short one.

"Now, now, that's uncalled for!" Said the heavyset one.

"Okay, who are you?" Sayaka asked.

The trio all smiled at this. The two on the stairs leaped off, one flipping in the air, the other spinning, while the girl on ground level cartwheeled.

"Sandy!" Said the tallest as she landed.

"Cindy!" Said the heavyset one, as she landed.

"Mindy" Said the short one as she rolled into position.

The trio struck a pose. "And we are the Magus Sisters! Esper of Cooperation and Sisterhood."

Madoka was immediately reminded of Ramuh. "You're all Espers?"

"No no! Weren't you listening? Esper! Singular!" Said Sandy.

"Were a package deal!" Said Cindy.

"Three for the price of one!* *StandardratesandrestrictionsmayapplyoffermaynotbeavailableinyourWorldsideeffectsmayincludenauseafatiguefaintingmegalomaniacrampsandindegestion  
askyourhighsummonerifMagusSistersisrightforyou."

"What."

"Can you take us to Yen Sid?" Mami asked.

Cindy sighed. "Sure."

"Nobody appreciates showmanship these days." Sandy commented.

"Philistines," Mindy complained.

The sisters headed up the staircase, and gestured for the girls to follow. As Madoka ascended the spiral staircase, there was a sudden flash of light, and now she was on a blue staircase floating in the air.

"Whoa! Awesome!" Sayaka said.

The area they were in was massive. Looking above, Madoka could see several other floating staircases. Then she looked down, and saw more of that orange colored fog at the bottom, same as she saw outside.

"What is that?" She asked.

"Mist."

"Looks kinda weird for mist." Mami said.

"No, not that kind of mist. It's Mist with a capital M. It's a manifestation of pure magic." Cindy explained. "With the right knowledge, and in the right hands, it can be a powerful augmentation to your magical abilities. Without that, it can be harmful, causing mutations, insanity, wild magic, or worse."

Madoka blanched as she considered this, and thoughts of the things that could go wrong should she use magic started to fill her head.

"Why call it Mist? Why do they have to use 'Capital Letters' like some third-rate RPG? That's just confusing!" Kyoko snarked.

"Why do you call your suspended water vapor mist? That's just confusing!" Mindy shot back.

As they reached the top of the staircase, they pushed open a door, leading them into a room with windows shaped like crescent moons. There wasn't much else but a door on the other side of the room. Passing through it placed them back in the staircase room, on one of the higher ascents. This one was green and spiraled.

"Keep moving. Master Yen Sid is at the top." Cindy said.

"Ya know, they weren't what I was expecting for a greeting." Kyoko said, as she followed.

"What did you expect? Dumbledore?"

"Well, more like Hagrid. This place also seems kinda empty." Kyoko gestured to all the open space.

"Well Hogwarts is a school in a castle. Lots of people live there. This place doesn't seem built for that." Sayaka said.

"Hogwarts still had towers with more interesting stuff in them. Like the moving paintings."

"Yeah, that would be neat!"

"I really wish I knew what you two were talking about." Mami said.

"Yeah, if we win this thing, I'll have to show you the movies!" Kyoko said.

"You mean _when_ we win. Right Madoka?" Sayaka said.

"Oh… um… r-right." Madoka said. Her thoughts had been lost on the possibility of her magic going wild, though Sayaka's comment pulled her back. It didn't make her feel any better however.

The sisters led them through another door at the top of the staircase, leading to a room much like the previous one, save that here, the windows were shaped like stars.

"Madoka? Is something the matter?" Mami asked.

"No." She insisted. "Just distracted. Taking it all in."

Madoka looked away, hoping it didn't seem suspicious.

They were led through another door, and to a third flight of floating stairs leading to a final door.

The sisters pushed it open and gestured for the girls to follow. As Madoka approached, she heard a deep voice.

"I did not expect you back so soon?"

"Well, we were about to head into town, when something more interesting showed up?"

"Hmm?"

As they walked into the room, Kyoko immediately exclaimed. "Now _that's Dumbledore_!"

"Hush!" Mami said.

Rude comment or not, Madoka couldn't help but agree. Yen Sid looked like everything one might think of when hearing the word "wizard". He wore blue flowing robes and a conical hat decorated with stars and moons. He had long gray hair and a gray beard. He sat at a desk lit by a candle inside a skull. Around the room were shelves of what she presumed were spellbooks.

"A most unexpected visit." The wizard turned to the girls and began to stroke his long beard. "What brings you young ladies to this tower?" He asked.

Madoka was about to speak, but hesitated. She then felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to see Mami. She gave a gentle but encouraging smile, and nodded. Madoka nodded back.

Madoka held out her and, and Eternal Struggle appeared in her grip.

The Magus Sisters gasped in shock, and even Yen Sid's eyes widened.

"A new Key Bearer?!" Sandy exclaimed.

"This late in the game?" Cindy added.

"Last minute upsets? The crowd calls foul!" Mindy added.

"Hush!" Yen Sid chided. He then leaned forwards slightly. "A Keyblade."

His eyes scanned over the weapon, before focusing on Madoka herself. She was confused before she realized that he was focusing on her scar, causing her to shy away.

Yen Sid leaned back in his chair. "Tell me, child, what you and your companion's names are."

"Um… I'm Madoka Kaname. This is Sayaka Miki, Kyoko Sakura, Mami Tomoe, and Nagisa Momoe."

"Pleased to meet you. Now tell me, Madoka. How did you come into the possession of a Keyblade."

"Er… it's… kinda a long story."

Yen Sid gestured. There was a sparkling of lights from behind her, and when Madoka turned around, she saw a wide, fluffy couch had been conjured.

"We're in no hurry here." Yen Sid said, gesturing for her and the others to sit. "Take your time. I'd very much like to hear it."

As she sat down, Madoka looked at the others, and then back down at the Keyblade. She ran her fingers along the scar on her face, and then took a deep breath before slowly launching into an explanation of her story.

She started with the dream she had, and went from there, covering everything she could think of. From the Heartless attack to the encounter with Maleficent at the mall. Sometimes the others would step in to expand or clarify when Madoka faltered, especially when she got to the attack on her home and family.

As she finished the story, she felt a strange feeling, as if her story was simultaneously too long and too short at the same time.

For his part, at the conclusion, Yen Sid closed his eyes and stroked his beard, clearly deep in thought.

"You have been through a truly harrowing experience. Especially for somebody of your age. I wish that the fate of the World did not so often fall into the hands of those so young. Truly, fate is cruel to young Keyblade wielders. It robs them of the opportunity to live the peaceful lives they deserve to have." The old wizard's eyes were drooping, making him look even older. A reassuring smile crossed his face, but it was one that didn't match his eyes. It was the smile of someone almost about to cry.

"Sir?" Mami asked.

"This is merely wistful thinking on my part." And like that, it was gone. The great sage's expression was once again stone as he spoke authoritatively. "Here you are now, at the peak of this tower to seek answers from me. And answers you shall have. What is it you wish to know?"

"What were those creatures who attacked us at the train station?" Mami asked.

"A good question to start with." Yen Sid said. He gestured, and a glowing image of a small black ant-like creature appeared in the center of the room. "You already know what a Heartless is, do you not?"

"Yes. Ramuh explained it." Madoka answered.

"Good, then we can move forward from that." Yen Sid gestured, and another image appeared. This time it was one of the white creatures. Even though it was just a hologram, Madoka still found it so unsettling to look at.

"These creatures are known as Nobodies." As he spoke, the image shifted, showing a normal human man. "When one succumbs to darkness, whether naturally or artificially, a Heartless is born."

A Heartless appeared. The man attempted to fight the creature, but failed and was struck down. Madoka flinched as she saw his Heart emerge from his body and become another Heartless, only to feel Sayaka and Mami's comforting hands on her shoulders. She smiled weakly, and continued observing.

"Ordinarily, the body and soul left behind simply fade away at this point, only to reform again when the Heartless is slain by a Keyblade and the Heart set free."

Here, Cindy floated over above the holograms. "However, should the victim possess a strong enough will, the body and soul will persist." She said.

"Moving about on its own." Sandy said, moving next to her sister.

"Becoming its own being." Cindy added.

The man's body began to transform, becoming featureless and gray. He stumbled about, seemingly wandering aimlessly. He was in a city of some sort, with glowing neon signs and LED screens everywhere. He eventually paused in front of a window staring at his own reflection, running his hands across his gray face, featureless save for a jagged mouth.

"Unlike a Heartless, Nobodies retain the memories of their former lives as well as their intellect and capacity to reason. However, without Hearts they are incapable of emotions."

"Happiness, sadness, love, hate. Those are all gone. All they have left is an immense sense of loss. Emptiness. A void where they know something should be." Cindy explained.

The man suddenly turned, as something approached him. Madoka recognized the crossbow wielding Nobodies and the Samurai Nobody as they circled around the man.

"Much like Heartless and the darkness of the heart, the stronger a person's will, the more powerful their Nobody will become. Those with the strongest wills will retain a form resembling their original appearance." Yen Sid said.

A figure in a black cloak appeared, approaching the newborn Nobody. They seemed to be saying something, but there was no sound to go with the image. The cloaked figure then gestured, and a streak of white snaked out from off screen to wrap around the new Nobody. There was a flash of light, and then the newborn Nobody was now wearing a white jumpsuit.

"They really… don't have emotions?" Madoka asked. She attempted to comprehend that, failing each time she tried. They couldn't feel satisfied when they accomplished something, or determined when they failed. Couldn't feel eager to begin something, or laugh at a funny joke. Couldn't be happy at a beautiful day. Couldn't enjoy a delicious meal. Couldn't love someone close to you. Couldn't cry when something bad happened. Such an existence was unthinkable.

"The Heart is the source of emotion within a being. When it becomes a Heartless, it is only capable of feeling dark emotions. Hatred, anger, fear, despair, greed, violence. These are the emotions that drive the Heartless. Consequently, the Nobodies are also incomplete. Though they can use their memories of their previous lives to mimic emotional responses, those are merely a facade."

To be broken apart, losing all positive aspects of yourself and trapped endlessly in negativity. It was like a personal hell, and a deep knot formed in Madoka's stomach at the thought. It also felt eerily familiar.

"That sounds… horrible." Sayaka said, clearly having the same thoughts as Madoka.

"It is." Mindy said.

"Indeed. However, for the Nobody, such a separation need not be permanent. Anything that is self-aware either has a Heart, or can develop one, even Nobodies. They can still grow from the experiences of life and forming connections with others. However, this is where Organization XIII comes into play."

"Who are… Organization XIII?" Nagisa asked.

"Our enemies. They are comprised of the most powerful of Nobodies, ones that have fully retained their human forms. They gathered lesser Nobodies under their banner to serve their dark purposes. They were defeated once, but have reformed. They are the ones responsible for the ills of the universe."

"How so?"

"The Nobodies followed the Organizations banner due to a lie. The leaders of the Organization deceived them into believing that they couldn't develop new Hearts."

The knot in her stomach worsened as Madoka considered the cruel implications of this. To develop genuine feelings, and yet be led to believe that they were false. The confusion and grief that would cause, only to be worsened when those feelings were not considered genuine.

"Why… Why would anyone do something like that?!" Madoka exclaimed. It seemed inhumanely cruel.

"To answer that question I must first ask another question: how aware are you of the history of the Keyblade?"

"Ramuh told us about the Keyblade War."

"Ramuh… indeed. There is more to the tale however, and so much you must know. It begins decades ago, in the time of my youth. After the Keyblade War, wielders were reduced to but a handful in small circles, carrying on what remained of the traditions and teachings from ancient times. Xehanort and Eraqus were two such Keyblade Wielders, apprentices to a Keyblade Master like I was at that time." The wizard gestured again. The image shifted, now displaying two boys. One had tan skin and silver-white hair. The other had more asian features, and black hair.

"Both of them were talented Wielders and the closest of friends, like brothers. Eventually, they achieved the rank of Master. Eraqus took over the role as the guardian of the Land of Departure, while Xehanort turned towards more scholarly pursuits." The boys in the holograms grew older. The tan-skinned young man became old and feeble-looking, with a bald head, a hunched back and a goatee. His counterpart aged much better, growing facial hair and taking on the appearance of an old samurai, though wrinkles still lined his face.

"Eventually, Eraqus began teaching pupils of his own." The samurai looking-man, Eraqus, then began talking to three figures: a beautiful young woman with short blue hair and a similarly blue keyblade, a boy younger than Madoka with light brown hair and kindly smile who held his small Keyblade in a reverse grip and a tall, muscular man with dark hair and a broad Keyblade. They began to swing their blade again and again, practicing in sparring matches against each other. Eraqus watched over them, smiling approvingly. "Their names were Aqua, Ventus and Terra. Each would come to a terrible end." Yen Sid said stoically.

He gestured to Xehanort, who then smiled much more menacingly. Dark miasma surrounded the hologram. Nagisa began clinging onto Mami's arm a bit tighter. "Xehanort became obsessed with the Keyblade War," Yen Sid continued. "He desired to see it repeated, to see it happen again. The last war reshaped the World, and he sought that power. To this end, he created a vile creature to serve as his own apprentice, named Vanitas." A being with a helmet covering its face, a red and black bodysuit and a skirt appeared by Xehanort holding an evil-looking Keyblade in its hand.

"Together, the two of them sought to use Ventus to create the ancient weapon, the χ-blade. Using it, he planned to recreate the Keyblade War and summon forth Kingdom Hearts. With its power, the World would be his to shape as saw fit.

Now, Madoka and the other girls looked at the holograms with rapt attention as the figures fought. "Obviously, Eraqus and his apprentices could not allow them to succeed. But…" Just then, Eraqus was run through by the grinning Xehanort, an expression of shock on his face before he vanished in a puff of light. Xehanort then turned to the younger Keyblade wielders and, gathering dark power in his hand, blasted them all. The hologram became blurry after that.

"In the aftermath of the battle, Eraqus was murdered by Xehanort, and Terra vanished, never to be seen again. Ventus, Aqua and my own apprentice Mickey defeated Vanitas, but Ventus' heart was shattered in the process." A hologram showing Yen Sid, Aqua and what looked like an anthropomorphic mouse talking over Ventus' lifeless body appeared. They appeared to be discussing what had happened. "This was the last time I saw Aqua or Ventus again. She took the boy's body and hid it away, then disappeared into the Realm of Darkness."

"After this, Xehanort vanished, only to return in a different, younger form." A man resembling Xehanort's younger self appeared, but this time, he was wearing a white labcoat. "Xehanort had failed to bring about Kingdom Hearts the first time, so he resorted to a different tact." Five faceless figures surrounded Xehanort before all of them bowed towards a tall, imposing blonde man with orange eyes. "Under this guise, he was able to become an apprentice to the great scientist Ansem the Wise. They began to perform experiments on the Heart, experiments on darkness. Ansem the Wise began to have second thoughts on the ethics of their experiments, and ordered them shut down. However Xehanort and Ansem's other five apprentices betrayed him, sending him into the Realm of Darkness while Xehanort impersonated him."

"Sounds like this Realm of Darkness place is all kinds of bad news if everyone who goes in never comes out." Kyoko interrupted.

"That World is one where few individuals have ever escaped from. The Heartless there are much stronger than normal, and the Realm itself is malevolent, shifting itself to keep you trapped there forever." Yen Sid explained. Without missing a beat, the hologram of Ansem disappeared. Xehanort and the other apprentices then did… something and removed glowing hearts from their chests.

"What the-!" Sayaka exclaimed.

"After betraying their master, Xehanort and his other apprentices removed their own Hearts and became Heartless willingly."

"Why would someone do that? Just willingly give themselves over to Darkness?" Sayaka asked, clearly unsettled.

"Power." Cindy said. "That's usually what it comes down to. Darkness grants power, even as it eats away at the mind and body."

"Sometimes they don't notice. Sometimes they don't care. As long as they get what they want, no matter how many people they screw over in the process." Sandy explained. "Those with strong darkness can control the Heartless, make them do their bidding; It's always risky though. Show weakness and they will turn on you."

Yen Sid continued the story without missing a beat. "In removing his own Heart, Xehanort split himself into two, a Heartless and a Nobody." At this, two similar-looking men with long silver hair and dark skin appeared. One had a Heartless emblem on his chest and straighter hair, while the other wore a black cloak and had wilder hair. "Xehanort's Heartless retained his sapient mind due to consciously giving himself over to the darkness. It was he who first started the Heartless invasion of the Realms of Light and Twilight. He sought after Kingdom Hearts, and thus abducted the seven Princesses of Heart in an attempt to create his own by merging the Hearts of Worlds together. To this end, he manipulated like-minded villains to ally with each other, unknowingly playing into his hands." At this, a group of people surrounded the Heartless Xehanort. A strange blue skinned man with hair of fire, a purple skinned woman with the lower body of an octopus, a middle eastern man clad in dark robes and wielding a snake shaped staff, a European looking pirate with a hook for a hand, something that looked like an animated bag crawling with bugs. Most of these people Madoka didn't recognize, but there was one she did, the demonic looking woman in black robes.

"Maleficent..." Madoka whispered under her breath.

"Indeed, Maleficent was the instrument by which Ansem abducted the Maidens carrying the shards of light. Even after she was struck down, she persisted, recovering and continuing her schemes of conquest on her own, sending Heartless to attack worlds to add to their numbers. Though I don't know what her end goal would be."

"She mentioned something about a black box and a Book of Prophecies." Madoka said.

"Hmm…"

"Sir?" Mami asked.

"Let us save that matter for another day. There is more to cover after all." Yen Sid continued his story. "Meanwhile, his Nobody took on the name 'Xemnas' and gathered powerful Nobodies into his ranks, creating the original Organization XIII. I mentioned before that he prevented them from gaining Hearts of their own. This was because he wished to fill each member of the Organization with Hearts of pure darkness - his own. With Xehanort's thirteen darknesses and Ansem's seven lights, they would be able to recreate the conditions necessary to summon Kingdom Hearts. Fortunately, heroes rose up to stop them."

The hologram displayed three people that looked to be around the same age as Madoka: a boy with spiky brown hair and a massive grin on his face; a slightly older boy with silvery blue hair; and a red-haired girl with a spunky grin. "These three are Sora, Riku and Kairi. Like yourselves, their home was invaded by the Heartless. They were scattered across worlds and it took years for them to be reunited.. Eventually, each of them were able to obtain a Keyblade and defeat both Ansem and Xemnas. Images flashed by of the spiky haired boy, Sora, fighting Ansem, who had taken on a more monstrous form resembling a cross between a spaceship and a giant insect, followed by a picture of Sora and Riku wielding Keyblades against Xemnas, who was wearing a black and white version of his regular cloak.

"But wait!" Nagisa suddenly exclaimed. "If the Heartless and the Nobody were defeated by Keyblade wielders, then… then that means the original Xehanort comes back, right?"

Yen Sid nodded seriously. "Yes, and that's where we are now. Xehanort has returned in his original form and has gathered up a new Organization XIII. Now, we must gather up Keyblade wielders to clash against against his new Organization and put an end to his evil once and for all." At this, he gestured and two sets of figures emerged. On one side, Sora, Riku, Kairi, the mouse named Mickey and another young man with fiery red hair and a black coat stood with Keyblades ready to fight. On the other side stood Xehanort in his elderly form along with twelve figures in black coats and faces obscured by their hoods. The two sides leaped towards each other before the hologram vanished in a puff of golden dust.

"Wow..." Kyoko said.

Madoka had to agree. Her quest had gotten a lot more complicated and intimidating. Everyone in her World being taken by the Heartless was just part of a massive Worlds spanning conflict. A war between light and darkness.

"It's a lot to take in, I'm sure." Cindy said.

"I'd like to ask for your aid, but I can't make that decision for you." The old man spoke gravely. "As we are now, there's no need to rush your decision. Your experiences up to this point have been harrowing, and I believe you should take your time to learn more. We can still teach you about your abilities. The Magus Sisters will be very valuable in the teaching of magic. But for now, after your battle, I'd think it prudent to rest a bit."

Yen Sid gestured again, and a glowing doorway appeared behind them. As the girls entered, they found that it leading to a sort of lounge. There were couches and tables, as well as shelves of various books.

"So, what do you think?" Sayaka asked Madoka.

"Shit just keeps getting crazier doesn't it?" Kyoko said, slumping down on a sofa.

"I… I…" Madoka wasn't sure what to do as she sat down. Things had changed so fast it made her head spin. Only a few days ago, the only thing on her mind was how to spend her summer break. And now, she and her friends were caught up in a war for the fate of the entire universe. As she reflected on what happened to her once more she recalled something from her first dream.

_"I want… I want to do something meaningful with my life. Something that makes a difference, something important."_

Was this her wish? Was the universe granting her wish in some sort of cruel joke? It sounded ridiculous on the surface, but nonetheless the thought troubled her deeply.

* * *

___Again, thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding!___

___~Dragonexx___


	25. The Sister's Apprentice

**Chapter 25**

**The Sisters' Apprentice**

* * *

"So, what now?" Mindy asked.

"That girl is a Princess." Sandy said. "You could sense it right?"

"Indeed I can." Yen Sid leaned back, thinking about what this meant. There had been Princesses with Keyblades before. Kairi was one of them. But two at once was a powerful omen, though what it foretold, good or ill, he wasn't sure. But he was certain that Ramuh would know.

Yen Sid turned to the sisters. "Find Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather and ready a room for training."

"Right away!" Cindy said. The sisters saluted and then departed the room, heading elsewhere in the tower.

Now, to learn. The spell was trivial for one so experienced as him. With a few gestures, electricity arced from his fingers to form into a crackling magical circle. There was a flash of lightning, a crack of thunder, and floating before him was a glowing yellow light.

The light took the form of a tan skinned elderly man with an incredibly long beard clad in black robes.

"**_I am Ramuh! Esper of Storms and Knowledge! Who is the summoner who dares calls upon me?_**" The being said with a crackling voice. Storm clouds filled the room while lightning flashed and thunder boomed.

"It is I, the wizard Yen Sid! Former Master of the Keyblade, now Master of the Mysterious Tower!" The wizard shouted over the living storm.

The lightning suffused being turned it's glowing gaze upon him. Then the being smiled. As he lowered to the ground a chair formed beneath him. The electricity that was crackling across his body dispersed and his eyes turned to a shade of electric blue.

"_Good to see you, old friend._" Ramuh stated, his voice now beginning to sound more normal.

"The same to you." Yen Sid answered, grinning. He gestured, and a set of tea appeared on the desk before them. His guest took a mug at the same time that he did, and the two clinked them together.

"I take it by your summoning of me that Madoka and her companions have arrived safely?"

"More or less, though their schedule had been delayed. First by a lack of proper currency to buy train tickets." Yen Sid answered, raising an eyebrow.

Even in his long life, there were still some things that would surprise him. An Esper looking sheepish was one of them. Being a Lord of Knowledge clearly wasn't the same thing as all-knowing

"Fortunately, the girls are clever, and managed to find a way through that problem, which by coincidence led them into an encounter with a member of the Organization. Her description of the encounter leads me to believe the member was Xigbar."

"With my power, they were in no danger." Ramuh smiled knowingly.

"I must question why you are so involved. Why would you go out of your way for someone like her?"

Ramuh leaned forward, his face serious. "There has been unrest within the Feymarch. This new Keyblade War goes far beyond the Guardians and Seekers. Keyblades break so very many of the universes physical and magical laws. The first Keyblade War tore the First World apart, radically altering the very structure of the universe; now that a second war is nascent..."

"There are many Espers who see it as an opportunity." Yen Sid finished, frowning at the implications of what he was saying.

"Indeed. Some seek to expand their domains, gain more power, recruit new followers, destroy enemies and rivals, or even just amuse themselves. Old factions are realigning. New battle-lines have been drawn. Small conflicts have already broken out."

"And you believe that this Madoka is important to resolving this conflict? I understand that, as both a Princess of Heart and Keyblade Weilder, she can be a powerful ally. But such a thing has happened before, and you haven't gotten involved with those cases." The old wizard was curious. Without a doubt, Ramuh knew of Kairi's special circumstances.

Ramuh closed his eyes. "I did not entirely seek her out on my own. She called to me, seeking knowledge on what was happening to her World."

"She did not seem to have been aware of you before you saved her from Homura." Yen Sid questioned.

"Not that Madoka. There is much more to this tale than you would expect." Ramuh opened his glowing blue eyes. "It involves a Goddess..."

* * *

_So many sights!_ Homura was in awe as they walked through the city. The buildings were strange and bizarrely shaped, a chaotic hodgepodge of styles and shapes, looking like they had come from a massive variety of cultures and societies. There were buildings adorned with sinister looking spikes, buildings that seemed to be coated in vines, buildings shaped like eggs or even statues that doubled as buildings. So many of them were massive in size, as big as skyscrapers back home, or even bigger.

However, they were nothing compared to the people of the city. There were humans, yes, but so much more. Strange creatures of all sizes and shapes. Some looked like the typical fantasy depictions of elves and dwarves, others had animal-like features and some looked like nothing Homura had ever seen before. She saw a pair of rabbit-like women interacting with small red creatures. A cat eared man talking with an orange scaled reptile. What appeared to be an animated suit of armor examined fruit at a stall.

But some were even more bizarre than that. Entities that looked like ghastly and random combinations of flesh and machine with multiple legs and tentacles shambled about. A strange creature with an octopus like head in a stiff robe passed by. There were beings that seemed to be comprised of a cluster of floating lights that arranged themselves into different shapes. She saw a trio of glowing creatures with heads floating detached from their bodies. Homura gaped as cloud vaguely in the shape of a four armed humanoid drifted past to meet with a column of living fire.

"What is this place?" Homura asked.

"Sigil is a World located in the realm of Twilight. It is one of those very rare worlds to be perfectly balanced between all realms. In addition to this, it is called the City of Doors for a reason. Here, any enclosed area can become a portal. Doors, windows, archways, cupboards, manholes, tunnels. Anything... if you have the proper Key."

"Key?"

"Ordinarily, a Portal Key could be anything. An object, a song, a phrase or password, a particular set of clothing, an action, or even a pattern of thoughts. However, being a Keyblade Wielder does come with it's perks in this area." Xehanort said with a grin. "Here, in this city, people from Worlds all over the universe meet. They trade in goods, knowledge, and philosophies."

As he said this, she passed by what could only be an angel, white wings and all. He looked flustered, and was conversing with a black winged figure in dark sunglasses.

"Where are we headed?" Homura asked, trying not to get distracted by the increasingly bizarre sights.

"To the City Courts. Contained therein is the guild headquarters of the Fraternity of Order. To them, knowledge is power. They seek to understand the multiverse and to then draw strength from this knowledge. Thus they maintain impeccable records and an immense collection of information." Xehanort gestured towards one of the city's massive structures. It looked like a combination between a courthouse and a library, though the spikes adorning the rooftop made the establishment appear more sinister in design. "Herein lies the knowledge that will help us free Madoka from the burden of the Keyblade."

* * *

After a respite, a trio of fairies in dresses had appeared, beckoning the girls to follow them. Another doorway appeared, leading down a flight of stairs.

"We'll start with the basics." Yen Sid said. "You mentioned using magic before, during your encounter at the train station. Would you care to demonstrate that for me?"

"Um… okay..." Madoka raised Eternal Struggle, only for the wizard to gently grab the weapon and lower it to the ground.

"There's no need to use that."

"You want me to cast a spell without the Keyblade? But without it..." Madoka looked to the ground, recalling her experience in the Struggle tournament. "I'm nothing..."

"Magic is rooted in the will. It is at its core using your will to defy the natural laws of the universe. Emotions, logic, prayer, meditation, wishes, they all act as a means to direct willpower. That will comes from the Heart and Soul. The Keyblade is an extension of your own Heart. It acts as a conduit for magic, but it is not the source of it. It merely served to help awaken it in yourself and your friends."

"Wait… the Keyblade activated my friends' powers?" Madoka asked.

At this, Yen Sid grinned. "Did you think that the Keyblade could only unlock doors? The connection your Heart has to your friends' Hearts activated the magic that lay dormant within them, aided by the Keyblade."

"My Heart… It's the source of my magic." Madoka placed her hand to her chest, closing her eyes.

"Try to recall the feeling that you felt during the battle."

She recalled the battle in her mind. She recalled the fear. The desperation when she saw Sayaka and Kyoko about to be killed. But… that had only been the catalyst. The actual feeling. It was a burst of energy. A surge of adrenaline. Like a jolt. A sudden flash of inspiration. _Thunder_.

Madoka felt a tingling in her hands, and when she opened her eyes, she saw that electricity was crackling around her hands. It didn't hurt. In fact, it kind of tickled.

"Whoa! Awesome!" Sayaka said.

Yen Sid gestured, and a glowing ball of light appeared floating in the air. "Try to hit the target."

Madoka obliged and held out her hand. A bolt of yellow lighting lanced out striking the ball head on, destroying it.

She then heard applause, from both the Magus Sisters, and her friends.

"Well done!" Sandy said.

"You've got the hang of it pretty fast!" Cindy said.

"Meh, I could have done it- ow! I mean, you rock!" Mindy commented.

"Kickass!" Kyoko said.

"Indeed, you seem to have gotten the grasp of it fairly quickly." Yen Sid said.

"T-thank you." Madoka said, unused to such praise.

"That spell you cast was _Thunder_, magic that allows for electromancy. The manipulation of electricity. With it you can generate electricity, call down bolts of lightning from the sky and even manipulate preexisting electricity."

Sandy held out her hand, and flames danced about across it. "There's also _Fire_."

"And _Water_." Cindy said. She lifted her hands, and a sphere of water formed between them. "Both of which should be self explanatory."

"And _Aero_." Mindy said, as she swung her hand and a gust of wind blew across the room.

"Among other spells. _Quake_ for earth and stone, _Blizzard_ for ice and cold. These form the basic offensive spells, otherwise known as Black Magic. There are other spells, such as _Cure_ from White Magic to heal injuries, that will also be useful."

"So how are we going to learn all this stuff?" Kyoko asked, trying to look detached, but it was clear that she was barely concealing her excitement.

"That's where we come in." Said a familiar voice. The doorway to the room opened, and an old man with an incredibly long beard stepped into the room.

"Ramuh!" Nagisa said.

"You're here?" Mami asked.

"I said we would meet again." The Esper answered.

"Indeed. Learning magic can be greatly expedited by cooperating with an Esper." Yen Sid explained. "As you recall during the battle at the train station."

"Right." Ramuh said. "Now let's get to work."

* * *

The training had been proceeding well. With the aid of the Espers, everyone had quickly picked up the basics of magic, Madoka especially quickly. Kyoko took well to fire magic and Sayaka excelled at both water and healing.

Some of the group had even began to develop new abilities of their own. Kyoko seemed to be able to conjure chains out of thin air, forming them into barriers or shields. Sayaka could generate short lived platforms in the air and could move in bursts of incredible speed.

And Mami could create ribbons. Strong enough to swing off of, or tie things up. It seemed her muskets were actually formed of these ribbons, making her wonder if there was anything else she could make with them. As she took a seat, she had to resist the urge to fiddle with the power.

"You… wanted to see me sir?" Mami asked as she faced Yen Sid.

"Yes. I would like to hear your story."

"You've heard it."

"You've told me the sequence of events. At the moment, I am interested in your perspective on them. How do you feel about what has transpired?"

Mami paused and thought, reflecting on the things that troubled her.

"In truth… I think I'm still reeling from it all. My entire life has been upended in a day and a half. Yesterday morning, I woke up prepared to go shopping with my friends, only to find one of _these_ in my hands." Mami held out her hand, and one of the silver muskets appeared. "Then, before I could really process what was happening, the Heartless attacked our apartment. From there until we got to Twilight Town, everything is still kind of a blur. Fighting and fleeing just to stay alive. And now… things just keep building on top of each other. Two days ago, the things I was worrying about were simple things like what I was going to cook to please two ravenous eaters like Nagisa and Kyoko. Now, we're fighting for our lives in a war for the fate of the universe."

"It breaks my heart to know what these young people have all gone through. Yes, prospective Wielders are generally brought into the order at a young age, but they are still allowed to have lives. To make friends, to spend time with their families, to enjoy the experiences of youth. They aren't meant to be sent out on missions until adulthood. To have that taken away from you is a tragedy."

"It makes me worry about the others." Mami said.

"Hmm? What about them?" Yen Sid asked.

"Kyoko is… a mess. I knew her before what happened to her family, and she was a very different person then. Happier. More optimistic. Now… she's mired in cynicism, and has been clashing frequently with the others. Nagisa was rejected by her father, and then her mother. I've done my best look after her like a big sister, and she's recovering, but now it's all in jeopardy." Mami took a deep breath. "Sayaka is trying to put on a brave face, but I know she's hurting inside as well. She's doing it for Madoka's sake, but I don't think bottling those feelings up is going to do her or Madoka any good. And then there's Madoka… so much depends on her, and she is severely lacking in self-confidence."

"Do you think she is unfitting of the mantle of Key Bearer?"

"No! Of course not! When it comes down to it, she can act decisively and do incredible things. If anyone deserves a Keyblade, it's her. But her lack of confidence means it's sporadic, and when she does do them, she has trouble accepting that she's really better than she thinks she is." Mami sighed. "I'm the oldest. I'm supposed to look out for them. A leader is supposed to bring out the best in others. And yet… I don't know what I'm supposed to do..."

Yen Sid leaned back, stroking his beard. "The mantle of leadership is never an easy burden to bear. Those that think it is set themselves up for failure. You believe that your friends are good people, do you not?"

"Of course!" Mami said.

"A good leader is aware of their faults, and understands that they must trust in their charges just as their charges must trust them. If you understand that, then I believe you will do fine in your role."

Mami stood up and bowed. "Thank you sir. I should return to my training."

She stepped out of the room and down the staircase back into the training room... Where she walked in on Sayaka currently chasing everyone around shooting water at them. Mami sighed.

_Well… time to be a leader…_

* * *

If there was anything Homura had learned in her long quest, it was patience. Even in the hellish life of a Magical Girl, there were dull periods. No Witches to fight, no Madoka's to save. No weapons to stockpile. Made even worse was that she had to repeat these moments over and over.

Homura hated these moments. Every second that passed was a second that something could go unexpectedly wrong. Details sometimes changed in timelines. Even for all her preparing, something out of the blue could happen. She could get the schedule of Madoka and her family and friends down. She could track Kyubey's pattern of movements and appearances. Memorize it perfectly, and then some aberrant event could throw all that out the window.

Kyubey could slip past her notice and get to Madoka before Homura could stop her from Contracting. A Witch or Familiar could stray from their usual roaming right into the path of Madoka or her friends and severely harm or even kill them. An unknown Magical Girl from another city could arrive and start fights. Only in the end did Homura realize that this had all been her fault. That her attempts to help Madoka had only muddled the flow of time and worsened her fate. Made her an even greater and greater prize to Kyubey. More mistakes to correct. More sins she could never atone for.

What was she doing here? This was pointless. She wasn't going to succeed. Everything she'd done so far had only made things worse. Let Madoka die over and over, tying more strings of fate to her. Let the Goddess take her away. Allow the Incubators to nearly imprison her. Violate her wish and leave her vulnerable to the Heartless. She was a failure. She should just- No! Not here. Not now.

Homura hated these moments.

There was nothing to do to occupy her attention. She had tried to look through several books, but unfortunately, none of them seemed to be written in languages that she could read, much to her chagrin. She was curious, but unfortunately there wasn't much she could do but wait at the moment.

"_Hey! Listen!_" A high pitched voice suddenly sounded.

"Huh?" Homura looked around for the source of the voice, but couldn't find it. She rose from where she was sitting, tensing up. "Where are you?"

"_No! Up here! I have a question!_"

Homura looked up to see a ball of light descending towards her. It was a swirling mass of colors, all shifting and changing rapidly in a way that was more hypnotic the more Homura stared at it.

She managed to tear her gaze away from the pattern and focus on what the creature was saying. "What question?"

"_Do you want to know about the darkness?_" the creature asked in a voice that was both otherworldly and also feminine and high pitched.

"What do you mean?"

"_I cannot speak here, and you cannot learn here. It's far, but you really should come. It will help you to become closer to who you seek. Madoka Kaname, right?_"

"Madoka?!" Homura entire body was tense now. "How do you know about her?!"

"Come and see." Was the only reply Homura received.

The ball of light floated down the aisle and then out a window. Homura hesitated, but her curiosity and anxiety won out and she followed the light outside.

As she landed, she saw the light floating atop a nearby building. It bounced, as if gesturing for her to follow. Homura obliged, leaping atop the building, and then running after the light.

As she traveled, the city's appearance gradually changed. The opulent buildings began to shift, becoming less and less fancy looking. The air became drier, and the buildings began to be overtaken by factories, belching smog and fumes into the air. Both the streets and the people were dirtier here, with a thick layer of soot covering many buildings and the people disheveled and dirty. A fine sprinkling of soot fell from the polluted air. With a simple application of magic, she pushed the soot off her clothes and hair, keeping herself clean.

She had passed into what must be the industrial district of the city. The clothing was a lot more simple here, though the variety of people hadn't changed.

The light didn't stop here, keeping steady as it continued onwards. Homura followed, now having to avoid large buildups of soot lest she slip and fall from the rooftops. Gradually, the scenery began to change again as she moved, the factories and warehouses being replaced by ugly buildings that had clearly not been repaired in a long time. Wooden structures were clearly rotting, and many metal buildings had been rusted through. The place stank to high heaven.

As she passed through the area, Homura found herself slowing down to observe. Of course all that grandeur from earlier had its price. Despite how the wealthy talked about improving the world, they were ignorant, willfully or not, of the suffering their greed caused.

Homura was no stranger to places such as these. Slums, ghettos and red light districts had been prime locations to find Witches. She hadn't initially known the reason, though it had become more clear as more awful truths about the world had been revealed to her. Even after she had failed in her quest to protect Madoka, she still frequented these places. They were massive sources of misery and despair, meaning Wraiths were plentiful.

Homura saw the filthy, waste strewn streets. The faulty and unreliable streetlights. The hopeless faces of people as they passed. The glum prostitutes gathering at corners. Her heart sank as she saw the groups of orphaned children, scrounging through piles of trash or attempting to pickpocket passers-by, to varying degrees of success.

She tried to put it out of her mind, they were distractions, but the suffering here kept creeping into her perception. Brief flashes of the true nature of the world.

A corpse lying in the middle of the street. Most people casually stepped around it, barely registering the sight until a deformed man in a cloak eventually picked it up and callously tossed it into a wheelbarrow already carrying several other corpses.

A pair of men in clad in different bloodstained clothes fighting each other with knives. Clearly members of rival gangs. Again, the people's only reaction was to give them space, otherwise going about their business.

A clearly sad and drunken man staggered out of a building and down the streets, only to collapse to the ground, a bottle dropping out of his hand and rolling away. Almost immediately, a crowd of children converged on him, riffling through his pocket and pouches, taking what little money he had, followed by his clothes and shoes.

A disheveled and dirty woman wandered through the streets, rambling to herself. She was surrounded by a swarm of flies, and clearly had several bite marks on her already.

It all wore down upon her until, upon stepping into an alleyway, Homura realized that she had lost track of the ball of light. Misled by distractions again.

She then heard a shuffling sound behind her. Several thugs approached, each carrying a weapon.

"You lost sweetie?"

"We can help you get home… for a fee."

"How's about those nice earrings you got there?"

Homura said nothing, and instead clenched her fists.

* * *

There was so much to learn! Not just magic, though that was incredibly fun, but about the Heartless and the Nobodies. They all had different categorizations and names. She had been pouring through the books over the past few days, learning as much as she could. Now, she stood before Yen Sid, who had called her to his study.

"You wanted me?"

"Yes Nagisa. What are your thoughts on the events that have transpired?"

Nagisa paused in thought. "I… dunno."

"Surely you must have some opinion?"

"I mean… it's bad. I want to help beat the bad guys and get everyone back. It's just…"

"Just what?"

"Everyone else is so much older." Nagisa said. "I feel like I am just tagging along. I am not sure how much help I am providing, or how much I am just getting in the way."

Unfortunate memories from that hospital room bubbled up, though they were quickly forced back down.

"They very clearly do care about you." Yen Sid said.

"But… can I live up to that? What if I mess up? What if they… don't want me anymore?"

"Why would you think that?"

_"My life ended the day you were born."_

"I-I-I..." Nagisa took a deep breath. "I… don't want to talk about it."

Yen Sid leaned back. "Alright."

"Really?" Nagisa had thought he would press the issue.

"Just know that your friends do indeed care deeply about you. If there is something bothering you, don't be afraid to talk to them about it."

"Thank you." Nagisa said.

* * *

Much to her disappointment, the fight did not last long. She had occasionally had to deal with idiot thugs like these before back during her days as a Puella Magi. Most of the time, they ran after she showed them they were outmatched, and these were no exception. After she broke the nose of one, and sent another flying with a kick, they quickly gave up and fled. Which was a shame, as she had been looking for something to vent her frustrations on. Homura sighed and ran her hands through her hair.

She then saw the glowing ball of light appear again. "_What's taking you so long? We're almost there!_"

"Where?"

"_C'mon!_" The light took off. Homura sighed and followed it.

It turned out that the ball of lights words were accurate. Around the corner was a large square, in the center of which was a building. Over the entrance was a sign stating the words Smoldering Corpse Bar along with a depiction of a body floating in the air and on fire.

The light floated into the building, and Homura was about to follow when she heard the sound of laughter. Anxiety rolled over her causing her to briefly stop in her tracks, unfortunate memories bubbling to the surface. She then berated herself. Those days were long behind her. And she had a mission now.

As she stepped inside, she felt a wave of heat that she saw came from the numerous grates in which burned fires that lit the establishment and were it's only source of light. The smell of food and booze dominated the air.

The ball of light floated over to a table where three people sat. One was a tall fair-skinned buxom woman with long blonde hair. The ball of light morphed into a fairy-like creature and sat on her shoulder. The second was a woman with silver hair and yellow eyes wearing an elegant black dress. Her skin was unusually pale, taking on an eerie sheen in the light emanating from the grates.

"Ah, we have been expecting you, Homura Akemi. Twas fate that we should meet." The last was a man in white robes and a turban. On her world, his features would have designated him as being of Middle-Eastern descent. "Would you care to join us?"

"Who are you? And how do you know who I am?"

"These questions will be answered in time. For now, introductions. You may call me Minwu."

* * *

_Thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding!_

_~Dragonexx_


	26. Yesterday's Memories, Tomorrow's Dreams

**Chapter 26**

**Memories for Yesterday. Dreams for Tomorrow.**

* * *

"The name of my Keyblade?" Madoka looked at the weapon in her hands. The name still flashed through her mind. "It's Eternal Struggle, though it used to be Crystal Clarity."

"So you've already started gathering Keychains then." Yen Sid said.

"Keychains?" Madoka asked. She looked at the bat hanging from a chain on Eternal Struggle. "What do you mean?"

"Keyblades are powered by the Heart. The Heart grows it experiences new things, gains more knowledge, and connects with other Hearts. With a Keyblade, these feelings can be given physical form, as Keychains, which alter the appearance and capabilities of the Keyblade."

"The capabilities are different?" Madoka gave Eternal Struggle a few practice swings. She was mildly surprised to find that they were faster. She even felt stronger wielding the blade.

"It would seem Eternal Struggle is a Keyblade more oriented towards physical combat, lacking some of the capabilities of Crystal Clarity, but possessing others."

"Wait… does that mean my aura is gone?"

"Aura?"

Madoka concentrated, and she could feel the same excited energy flow through her. A pink aura glowed around her. Apparently it wasn't gone.

"Ah, you have already figured out Flowmotion. An augmentation to your physical abilities, allowing you powerful feats of acrobatics and combat."

"Yeah, it's saved me several times. So it's not from Crystal Clarity. But then… how do I change it back?"

"Did I not say that Keychains were formed from the Heart's experiences? You obtained Crystal Clarity in your homeworld, did you not?" Yen Sid asked.

"Home." Madoka focused, holding out Eternal Struggle in front of her. She let her thoughts drift back to her memories of her life before all this. Her school. Her family. Her friends. As she did… she felt a warmth in her chest. There was a flash of light and a dance of flower petals, and Eternal Struggle transformed into Crystal Clarity.

"Ha! I did it!" Madoka shouted with excitement. As much as she liked the feel of Eternal Struggle, it just didn't compare to that of Crystal Clarity.

"Well done, Madoka." Yen Sid said with a grin. "Now, there are more things you can do with a Keyblade..."

* * *

"Why don't you take a seat, Homura?" Minwu asked.

"You must be hungry." Said the blonde woman, gesturing to a plate of food. Each of the others also had a plate. They were clearly expecting her.

Homura hesitated, she knew nothing about these strange people. But they knew her. Homura felt a twang in her stomach, followed by a growl. She realized that she had not eaten since before she left Mitakihara. She sighed internally. She hadn't needed food back home, only eating to keep up the appearance of being human, but now apparently she did again.

Eventually, she relented, sitting down and beginning to eat. The food wasn't exceptional in any way. Just some overcooked meat, some rice, lentils, and a glass of water, but even now she underestimated how hungry she was.

The others seemed to have similar fare, save for the pale-skinned woman who was drinking something thick and red out of a goblet.

"So what do you want with me?" Homura eventually asked.

"We seek to help you. We want to give you knowledge that will help you succeed." Minwu said.

"I don't even know who you are."

"As I have said. I am Minwu. White Mage of the Wild Rose."

"I am Lorelei, Ghaele Knight of the Court of Stars! Well met, Homura!" Said the blonde woman in a bombastic and dramatic voice.

"I am Malin, Factor of the Bleak Cabal." Said the pale woman calmly. As she spoke, Homura noticed she had a pair of sharp fangs.

"I'm Plum!" Said the fairy.

"I notice that you have allied yourself with Master Xehanort." Homura tensed. Xehanort had mentioned that their enemies could be anywhere. But then Minwu elaborated. "We seek a similar goal, to return the Princess to her rightful place."

"Why? Are you allies of Xehanort?"

"Not in truth. Our goals just happen to align on this matter."

"Why? Why do this?"

"Because the Fates will it." Minwu said.

"Because it is of the path of righteousness." Lorelei said.

"Because I choose to." Malin said.

Those weren't the responses Homura had expected. After a moment's hesitation, she asked.

"What is it you wish for me to know?"

"What do you know about the Society of Sensation?" Malin asked.

"Nothing." Was Homura's reply. The name was strange sounding, making her think of the very weird places she had sometimes visited when out Witch hunting. From there, those thoughts turned to images of things that she _really_ shouldn't be thinking about. Especially in relation to Madoka.

"The Society of Sensation is a faction that believes that the purpose of life is to grow through experience and sensation. Physical, emotional, spiritual, cerebral. Happy and sad. Good and bad. Pleasant and painful. True Sensates value all experiences, and seek to collect such things. While this can take many forms, the one that is most interesting is a magical device called a Sensory Stone." Malin explained.

"The Sensory Stone is used to record memories within, which can then be viewed by others." Minwu continued.

"So you wish for me to view a specific memory?" Homura said, catching on to what they were implying.

"Indeed, in the Sensorium Hall, you will find a stone marked simply as '_Consumption_'. Merely place your hands upon the stone, and the memory should play."

"What does the memory contain?"

"It's best if you see it for yourself." Minwu said. He reached to his side and loosened a pouch. "This should cover the fee of entry, the rest is yours to do with as you see fit."

For a moment, Homura considered simply leaving. However, her curiosity was starting to get the better of her. They weren't giving any hard details about anything, making her wonder if she was walking into a trap. But… if they wanted to capture or kill her, they apparently knew about her, and could have done that while she was unawares at the Courthouse or anywhere else in the city. They could have had Plum lead her into an ambush. She considered the thugs in the alleyway, but they were clearly unaffiliated. She had only encountered them due to her own distraction.

After a moment's thought, she nodded and took the pouch of coins. "Fine. I'll go."

"Great! I'll show you the way!" Plum said, transforming into her ball of light form, and then flying out of the bar.

Without another word, Homura stood up, ran her hands through her hair, and then followed.

* * *

Lorelei looked at Homura as she exited. "Are you certain this is the right course of action? Leaving her with vague hints and reflections that do not reveal the entire picture. Should we not take a more active role?"

"Seems unusual for you." Malin said. "Was it not you who claimed that it was the purpose of your existence to guide others on the path of righteousness? Ideally they should never know your true nature as you teach them."

"It seems that we are not even doing that. The knowledge she will receive from that stone, while substantive, seems insufficient to lead her down the proper path. Also, I'm not sure how it will lead her to her own goals as well."

"It is a tragic diction of fate that we must leave her in her current position. Unfortunately, were we to try to tell her the truth, it's likely she wouldn't believe us until it was too late. Even worse, it might alert our enemies to our actions. She has already been warned about enemies of the Organization, and she is stubborn to a fault. Once she has committed to an action, it will be immensely difficult to change her mind." Minwu explained. "We cannot directly dissuade her from her course of action, so the best call we can make is to give her this small amount of knowledge right now and let it eventually lead her to a greater understanding."

"Poor girl." Malin said. "She's suffered so much, weighed down with the burdens of misguided purpose and perceived duty. And she will suffer yet further because of that. Her hardships are only just beginning."

* * *

"So, whatcha' want?" Kyoko said, taking a seat and slouching back. She still wasn't used to the Dumbledore-like archmage's presence, but at the same time, the old man didn't seem like a threat either, and his tower, in spite of its mystical nature, gave off a good feel to it. She felt she could relax.

"I am curious about who I am working with. I have spoken with Mami Tomoe and Nagisa Momoe already, to better understand them. I'd like to hear your perspective on the events that have transpired."

"Not much to say. Went to bed normally. Woke up and it was the fuckin' end times." Kyoko said. "By some miracle, we survive by the skin of our teeth and wind up in another World. Then go figure, we don't have Munny for the train. We get the money, but then one of the bad guys shows up and sics his lackeys on us. We survive and make it to the tower to find out how to fix our home only to find out that all this is part of a gigantic universe spanning war. It's like every time you think things might be gettin' good, the world dumps a bucked of cold reality on you. I suppose I really have only myself to blame, gettin' my hopes up like that. Life sucks, and then you die."

"Except that we here are in the business of preventing those catastrophes."

"Well, fat lot of good you seem to be at it." Kyoko immediately flinched, partially regretting that outburst. However, the wizard didn't seem upset, merely stroking his beard calmly.

"Why would you think that?" He asked, his voice inquisitive.

"Heroics are pointless. All this 'change the world' crap gets you nowhere. Selfless people like that just get stepped on and then used as props for assholes to justify doing whatever the hell they want."

"From what I've heard from the others, you did not always hold this position."

"I grew up." Kyoko said. "I watched my dad cry at how awful the world was. Then he tried to fix it, only to get screwed over by everyone he wanted to help. People talk a big game about kindness and love and hope and altruism, but it's all hypocritical lies. The world is full of racism, sexism, murder, rape, war, slavery, inequality, corruption and all that shit. The world ain't fair. When things feel like they might get better, that's just the tide goin' out before the wave. Ya' get your hopes up, only to be let down. Powerful people do terrible things, and get away with it to do them again. That whole affair with Xehanort is a prime example. No matter how many times ya' think you've stopped the fucker, he just keeps comin' back to fuck ya' over again."

"Hmm… you still seem intent on traveling with you friends though."

"I'm just along for the ride. We're probably going to all fail and die horribly, but who cares? At least I'll get to see some cool sights before then. It's no use getting worked up over something that you can't change."

Yen Sid said nothing, closing his eyes and stroking his beard.

"Are we done here?" Kyoko asked, standing up.

The old wizard nodded his head. "Yes, though I will leave off on this: the world is certainly full of cruelty, but that just makes kindness all the more important. In a world of darkness, light is all the more precious. The world may be unfair and full of suffering. But does it have to be?"

Kyoko was about to reply with a snarky comment, but found she didn't have one. So instead, she turned around with her hands behind her head. "Yeah, yeah. Well… see ya." She walked away, unsure of how she felt.

* * *

Of all the buildings she had seen so far, the Civic Festhall was perhaps the grandest of all. It towered over the other considerably tall buildings in the area, and was significantly more grandiose in its construction. It was built from what appeared to be countless different types of stone, all alternating in complex patterns. The windows were all elegantly shaped, lined in gold and silver. The absolutely massive front doors were shaped from some sort of white-gold metal and countless images were engraved into them and inlaid with gemstones. On either side of the building was a magnificent fountain.

Stepping inside, she found that the floor was made of polished marble that shone in multiple colors. The walls were all painted in abstract designs, and countless works of art filled the space. Statues, paintings, sculptures, fountains, carvings.

The people were no exception, clad in expensive and complex garments. Luxurious silks, intricate jewelry, exquisite makeup, obviously fake bodies. These were clearly the elite of the city.

Some might have been taken in by all this beauty and indeed the artwork was fascinating to look at, but it was ruined by what it represented. An ostentatious and gaudy display of wealth and privilege. Back in the slums, the streets were covered in garbage and waste, buildings were rotting and rusting, and there was starvation, poverty, disease, and the crime that inevitably followed plain for all to see.

And here, those who could do something about it, instead strutted about, lost in their own opulence. This place was just as rotten as the slums, the only difference being that it could afford a better coat of paint.

"Hello, madam." A strange figure approached. Her upper body was that of a human, though her lower body was that of a ram. She had curved horns from which hung a ridiculous array of ornaments, and her ram body was wrapped in vines ending in yellow flowers. "Welcome to the Civic Festhall. Can I help you? Are you here for a class? Do you have-"

"The Sensorium." Homura answered. "I need to see a specific stone. Called _Consumption_."

"Huh… people don't usually go for this one. Can I ask as to the reason?"

"No."

"Hmm… terse rejection. That's a new one. Thank you!"

Homura was confused before she remembered the creed of the Society of Sensation. Whatever.

The goat woman continued. "To enter the Sensorium, there's the matter of a fee. It's- Oh!"

Homura summoned her shield and reached inside, pulling out the ten gold pieces she would need and handing them to the goat woman.

"That's handy! How-"

"Where's the Stone?"

The goat woman leaned back, seeming to savor the moment before she directed Homura down a series of hallways towards a large room that was heavily crowded. "You'll find it in chamber 107."

Homura hesitated again. She hated crowds. Too many eyes. Too many voices. Again, she grit her teeth. This was all necessary. She couldn't let her cowardice and weakness get the better of her.

Homura pushed her way through the crowd, looking at the rooms as she passed. Most of them were the same. Empty save for a single pedestal on which rested a crystal, varying in color. Some had people inside, hands held to the stone, experiencing whatever memory was contained within.

Eventually, she found the one she was looking for. Like the others, the room was empty save for the pedestal and the crystal. This Sensory Stone churned with an ominous mixture of black and red, that made Homura uncomfortable just looking at it.

She steeled herself, and walked up to the stone. Tentatively, she placed her hands on the rock, and there was a surge of feeling through her. The room around her faded away, to be replaced with a dark cell…

* * *

It was getting difficult to remember, he found. The longer he had been down here in this cell, the more and more was lost. The warmth of the sun on his skin, the coolness of the wind after a hard days work, the taste of a meal, nothing extravagant, but one made lovingly for him. Laughing with his friends. That one time he had gone hang-gliding.

Steadily, and steadily, these memories dulled, fading to obscurity. Sights became blurry, sounds became muddled. Sensations became numb. Even his name was lost. Soon, he found the only thing he could recall with clarity were the worst memories of his life.

The drunken cruelty of his father. The bullies at his school. Being dumped by his first love. His boss laying him off after he had worked faithfully for so many years. The murder of his brother. The idiot who had burned down his home. He hated them all. He wanted to cry. He wanted to scream. He wanted them all to suffer. He wanted them all to die. To feel the pain that had caused, over and over and over and over. He wanted to kill. Yes, that was it! He wanted to kill, and kill, and kill!

_No!_ This wasn't right! These thoughts were wrong… but why? Why were they wrong? He tried to think, but couldn't come up with an answer.

He then heard the sound of a moving door. There was a flash of light. It was dim, but even that felt hostile to his vision.

Then, there was the sound of footsteps and voices.

"Are you still complaining about this?"

"I have my reservations, Even! I'm not sure the master would approve of this."

"Ienzo, you have to stop living in his shadow. This is _progress_ and he does not understand that. His newest apprentice does! We can understand the Heart on a level hitherto undreamt of. Think of what we can do with that knowledge!"

"But at what cost? Tell me, Even!"

Those voices, they sounded familiar. But… who? The words all blended together. He barely processed them.

And then they stepped into view. Their forms were indistinct, but they glowed with an inner light. That light was more blinding than any he had ever seen before. He hated it, hated it more than he had thought it possible hate anything. But he also found that he hungered for it. So hungry. How dare they have that light. He wanted it, to consume it, to destroy it, to pervert it, to defile it. To kill. Kill. Kill. Kill.

Though he had long thought he no longer had the strength to move, it was now easier than ever. The bars of the cell were as nothing, easily slipping past them as he crawled across the floor to look up at the newcomers.

"Ugh! One got out!"

"Fascinating!"

"But too dangerous. Sorry little guy." A third voice. The words should have meant something, but they didn't. What did matter was that light within them. He would have it. He would take it and make it his. He would kill that light. Kill. Kill. Kill.

His body tensed, and he leaped, claws outstretched. There was a clicking sound. A flash of red light. And then, darkness.

When Homura came to, she found herself lying on the ground in a cold sweat. That sensation… it was all too familiar. Becoming a Heartless… it was like becoming a Witch. She recalled it, the loss of all but the barest flicker of positive feelings. Enough only to grieve at their absence while drowning in negativity, despair and hatred.

As she sat up. She realized that she was crying. That had happened to everybody on her world. She had left them vulnerable to that happening. It was all her fault. But… not everyone was gone. Madoka. She was out there… with Sayaka, Mami, Nagisa, and Kyoko. She could preserve them. Keep them from that fate. But… even if they did… they'd still hate her. They had every right to. She tried to stand up, and instead collapsed to her knees, tears streaking down her face.

Eventually, she managed to get herself under control, and stand. The memory still burned in her mind, as if it was one she had actually experienced herself, and she shuddered, feeling nauseous.

She leaned against a wall, trying to force the feelings down. Eventually, she managed to stabilize herself.

There was more to that memory though. There were people… studying the Heartless? Xehanort could use them. But…

There were a lot of questions that needed answering. And Homura wasn't sure how to get them.

* * *

"You wanted to talk to me?"

"Ah yes, I've been speaking to all the others, Sayaka. I'd like to hear your perspective on recent events."

"It's… what happened. We already explained it… Bad guys destroyed our world, now we know who's responsible. So we kick their asses. Simple."

"And what is your perspective on the others?"

Sayaka sighed. "Kyoko's… being a jerk. She's normally a lot nicer and fun to be around, but… now she's just starting arguments half the time. Mami won't let anyone else confront her because she's too afraid that we'll all fall apart. And Nagisa's just going to cling to her regardless. And then Madoka..."

Sayaka paused.

"What is it about Madoka?"

"Like… I've known Madoka almost my entire life. We've been friends since preschool. She's always had self-esteem issues. She's always been shy and meek. It made her an easy target for bullies, so I always stood up for her. I kept telling her to fight back, but she really wasn't the type to do that. She hated hurting other people, even if they had hurt her. Some might call that weak or naive but..." Sayaka trailed off, a melancholic expression crossing her face.

"She has a kind heart." Yen Sid spoke knowingly. "Such kindness can inspire others, but if applied in the wrong way, can be taken advantage of."

"I know. I don't want her to lose that kindness, but I'm worried she either will or she'll hurt herself trying not to. She's barely managing to hold together. After we arrived in Twilight Town, she went off on her own and broke down crying."

"You comforted her, did you not?"

"Yeah, but it's not over. She's the type that will hide a problem she's having because she can't stand people worrying about her. So now I'm worried that she won't tell me if she's personally struggling with something. She's so selfless… but you have to look after your own well being as well, right?"

"Indeed, compassion for others is one of the greatest virtues to strive towards, though it must be tempered with reason, lest it be mislead."

"I know, that's why I have to be there to look after her!" Sayaka said.

"That advice also goes for yourself, Sayaka. It's good that you care deeply about your friends, but you do them a disservice if you feel you have to deny yourself. We are all mortal in the end. We all have wants and needs, and it's perfectly natural to pursue them, though of course, not at the expense of others. Such a balance is essential, else your path forwards may be blinded. Do you understand?"

"Kinda… I think." Sayaka scratched her head.

"You're young. It's something you'll understand more as you grow." Yen Sid said.

"If you say so."

* * *

The bow… it felt just _right_. She had never taken any archery lessons, and couldn't recall ever so much as touching a bow, but it felt like it just belonged in her hands, even more than the normal form of Crystal Clarity. Eternal Struggle could become a hammer, but it didn't have the same feeling as this.

As she contemplated the weapon, she was reminded of Homura. She also had a bow that oddly resembled this one, though Madoka couldn't fathom why.

"Are you ready?" She turned as Ramuh approached. The two of them were in a large room with multiple pillars scattered about.

"Yes." Madoka said.

"Good. Let's give it a try." Ramuh said. He gestured with his staff, and several strange creatures appeared. They looked like a strange floating arrangement of golden shapes, organized into a cross-like pattern. Electricity crackled between the pieces. "Begin."

Madoka immediately dove to the side as one of the spheres crackled and then released a jolt of electricity. She took cover behind a pillar as another jolt was fired. She then raised the bow. The straight stick curved, and a glowing string appeared between its ends. As she pulled the string, a glowing pink arrow appeared.

Madoka quickly leaned out from cover and opened fire. The arrow struck dead on, destroying the creature, causing it to fade away. She then heard a crackling sound from around her, and leapt away as another of the elementals attacked. With the aid of Flowmotion, she bounced off another pillar, and then the wall, coming up behind the creature. Before it could react, a shot from her bow destroyed it.

As she landed she immediately felt a shock of pain as one of the other elementals landed a hit on her. She rolled away, as another joined it, taking cover behind another pillar. From there, she placed her hand to her chest and chanted "_Cure!_"

A green light enveloped her, and she found the minor burn from the lightning healing. She heard the crackling of the electricity as the elementals closed in on her position. As they approached, Madoka drew on her bowstring, at the same time as she chanted "_Water!_"

The arrow formed was this time shaped from water. She then leaped out from her position and opened fire. The arrow pierced the creature and exploded in a blast of high pressure water. The elementals jerked as they appeared to short out, and then collapsed to the ground before fading away.

"Well done!" Said Ramuh. "You've really gotten the hang of this!"

"Indeed." Said another voice.

Madoka turned to see Yen Sid entering the room.

"Oh, Master! I didn't expect to see you here."

"I've been getting to know all the others, and their thoughts on the recent events. I'd like to hear yours." He gestured, and the both of them were transferred to his study.

"How so?" Madoka asked, taking a seat.

"If you choose to join in the fight, it's a hard road ahead of you. I cannot guarantee that we will even triumph, and if we do, it will be a difficult, and harsh conflict. Even so. Even knowing all the things that could happen, are you willing to help? I wouldn't blame you if you decided not to. There have been Key-Bearers who have rejected the call and found contentment in a normal life."

Madoka was about to answer, but stopped. The stories she had been told had been bothering her, during this training. There were so many ways things could go wrong. In ancient times Keyblade Wielders had started a war that had shattered the Worlds into what they were today. Xehanort had been a wielder with such great potential, but he fell to darkness and ended up murdering his former best friend Eraqus. Aqua was lost in the darkness for over a decade, Ventus had had his heart shattered and was in a coma, and all traces of Terra had vanished. Truly the Keyblade seemed more like a curse than a blessing.

She looked down at Crystal Clarity in her hands. There was so much that could go wrong. The Keyblade led to a road of hardship and suffering. But then, this was all a war for the fate of the universe, wasn't it? Worlds were being destroyed, consumed. She focused on that, representing that in her mind as a planet being engulfed in blackness and then vanishing… but… she couldn't feel much of anything. Instead, though it troubled her, she focused on her past. Listening to the woes of Ms. Saotome's love life, going shopping with her friends or just hanging out together and watching movies. Having dinner with her family. Playing with her little brother.

Then she recalled what had happened to them, taken by the Heartless, leaving her world empty and silent.

She then reflected on what happened next. Her experiences in Twilight Town. Competing in the Struggle Tournament. Befriending Hayner, Pence and Olette. That delicious meal at Le Grand Bistrot. The enthusiastic and adorable Moogle shopkeeper. She had seen so many wonderful things in just her brief time here in this world.

Then she thought about the same thing that had happened to her own World happening in Twilight Town or this tower or any of the countless Worlds she had never seen. These people forced to suffer as dark monsters laid waste to everyone and everything they loved, all at the behest of people who cared not for the suffering they inflicted so long as they accomplished their goals.

She recalled Kyoko's accusation about what right she had to wield the Keyblade. Why it had chosen someone like her. She had indeed led a privileged life. But… she wasn't blind to the negative aspects of the world. Tragedies like what had happened with Kyoko's family, or Nagisa's, or Mami's always wrenched her heart. She heard more sad stories on the news, all the troubles of the world. Even though those tragedies seemed so far away from her idyllic life, she realized that there were things she had done to help back then. She had given them her friendship. She had given them happy memories. She had been a shoulder for them to cry on. And now that she had the Keyblade, she was able to do so much more to help others. She'd protect them and everyone else. She'd make a difference in the world now. That was her wish, wasn't it?

"I can't just stop now."

"Hmm?" Yen Sid looked towards her intently. "Why?"

"Yes, I might have had a life of comfort. But I don't think that disqualifies me. Why can't everybody have that? I had a loving family, a good school, a safe environment and supportive friends. Everybody deserves that. Bad people don't just come out of nowhere. Something happened to drive them towards those decisions. There's a lot of suffering and unfairness in the world. But it doesn't have to be that way! There's always hope! And that's why I want to help! I might not be able to do everything, but I still want to do my part, as big or as small as it may be!"

Yen Sid leaned back in his chair, his eyes closed, stroking his beard. At first, Madoka was worried, but then, the old wizard smiled.

"Well said, young Madoka. Such a sentiment is fitting for a Princess of Heart."

"A what?"

"You're Heart. Did Ramuh not tell you about the _χ-blade_? How it was broken into shards? Seven Lights and Thirteen Darknesses."

"Yes, he told me that."

"Well, those shards have not vanished. They still exist. Those shards of light still manifest themselves throughout the ages in the Hearts of pure women. The shards may pass upon their death, or the Princess may relinquish the mantle of their own volition, in which case it will seek out another kindhearted maiden. One of them rests within your own Heart, Madoka. You're Heart is pure: completely devoid of darkness and immensely strong."

Madoka placed her hand on her chest. She didn't feel that strong, but, apparently she was. Deep down, she wasn't sure how she felt about that.

"Are you sure?"

"Without a doubt. I believe you will make for an excellent Keyblade Wielder, Madoka Kaname."

* * *

_Thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding!_

_~Dragonexx_


	27. The Holy Quintet

**Chapter 27**

**The Holy Quintet**

* * *

"You're sending us off?!" Nagisa exclaimed. "But why?"

"It's not like that." Yen Sid said.

"Have we done something wrong?" Madoka asked nervously.

"No, you're getting the wrong idea." Yen Sid explained "Your training has proceeded at a remarkable pace. So remarkable, that there's not much else for you to learn by remaining here. That's why I'd like for you to head towards the city of Radiant Garden."

"Radiant Garden… that sounds familiar." Mami said.

"You've heard of it?"

"It was that Moogle, remember?" Sayaka said.

"Oh, right! He said that we should seek out another Moogle there to do Synthesis!"

"Interesting. However, I am sending you there for another reason. You are to meet with a colleague of mine. The wizard Merlin."

"Wait Merlin? As in, the Merlin who was with King Arthur? _That Merlin?_" Kyoko asked.

"Yes, indeed."

"Wow..." Kyoko's eyes widened.

"Why do we need to seek him?" Madoka asked.

"I believe the best way for you to advance in your abilities would be among your peers."

"My… peers?"

"Merlin is currently assisting in the training of two new Keyblade Wielders, Kairi and Lea. Kairi specifically, is another Princess of Heart like yourself."

"Another… Princess?" Madoka was still having trouble processing that. Her Heart was supposedly pure, completely devoid of darkness. She didn't feel like she was pure… but how would she know it if she was? Her feelings kept oscillating between confidence and anxiety. But… there was someone like her. Perhaps meeting Kairi would help clear things up.

"Oh! Before you go. We have something for you, dears!" A kindly voice said.

The door to the side of the room opened, and out emerged the three fairies, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather.

"What is it?"

"New clothes!"

"Thanks, but we already have clothes." Sayaka said.

"These are more than just simple outfits. They're magical. Enchanted to be resistant to the darkness." Flora said. She waved her wand, and there was a flash of sparkles over Madoka, and her outfit became completely red.

"W-wha-?"

"No, no, no! That will never do! It should look more like this!" Fauna said. A flick of her wand, and Madoka's clothes were now green.

"Have you no sense of style? This is obviously better!" Another flick of the wand, and Madoka's outfit remained green, while her skin turned blue.

"_What's happening?!_" Madoka panicked as she looked herself over.

Kyoko burst out laughing.

"Well, that was unexpected." Merryweather said.

"Alright. Let's not do this again. All together now, on them all?" Flora said.

"Wait!"

The three fairies waved their wands and Madoka's vision was filled with light. She felt a burst of energy, of joy and hope, as it felt like something was emerging from her.

When she could see again, she was wearing a completely different outfit, and gasped as she recognized it from her dream. The pink dress and bubble skirt. White gloves, white frilly knee-high socks and red shoes.

She turned and saw that the others were wearing similar outfits. Sayaka wore a blue corset and pleated miniskirt, with thigh high white stockings, blue elbow gloves, blue shoes, and a white cape.

Kyoko wore a sleeveless red shirt with dusters and a pink pleated miniskirt, white elbow gloves, black thigh-high stockings and red boots.

Mami's outfit was a tight shirt with detached sleeves and fingerless gloves, with a corset clearly designed to accentuate her breasts, a brown beret with a bit of fur adorning it, a frilly miniskirt, striped thigh-high stockings and yellow boots.

Nagisa had a black, midriff baring top underneath an orange mantle. She had a brown puffy skirt and black stockings with polka dot patterns and red shoes. Her skirt was held up by suspenders decorated with candy-like bows and she wore a hat with cat ears.

"Now you all look like dashing heroes!" Flora said.

"Yeah, fighting evil in miniskirts like it's _Sailor Moon_! Well, I guess we could always distract the bad guys with pantyshots!" Kyoko laughed.

"Screw you, I love this!" Sayaka exclaimed as she gave her cape a flourish.

"It's quite charming!" Mami said, looking herself over. She conjured a musket and struck a pose. "I like it!"

"Me too!" Nagisa said excitedly.

Madoka had to agree. She conjured Crystal Clarity and transformed it into its bow form. This combination just felt _right_. It made her feel giddy.

"So… how are we going to get to Radiant Garden? The train vanished." Kyoko asked.

At that moment, Madoka felt something vibrating against her, mixed with a song.

"What's that?" Sayaka asked.

"It's my phone?" Madoka asked. She reached into the folds of her dress and pulled it out, only to be shocked at it's sudden change in appearance. The pink phone now had a strange crown shaped decoration on it.

"What the heck? What happened to it?" Sayaka asked.

"Also, who's calling you?" Mami asked.

Curious, Madoka answered the call, while the others crowded around her. She gasped in shock when she saw the callers.

"Chipmunks?" Kyoko asked. "What the hell?"

"_It works!_" One of them said, in a high pitched voice.

"_Good to meet you, Madoka!_" Said the other, in a low pitched voice.

"Talking chipmunks. Yep. Those are talking chipmunks. Not even surprised anymore." Kyoko said.

"They're adorable!" Nagisa squeed.

"Uh… good to meet you too?" Madoka said.

"_I'm Chip!_" Said the high pitched one.

"_And I'm Dale! How are you enjoying your new Gummiphone!_"

"Gummiphone?" Madoka asked.

"_It's a new invention of ours. All of you should have one. It will allow communication between worlds. Network currently needs work now, so long range communications gonna be unreliable, but that should come soon. For now, there's plenty of features that can help you in your journey._"

The image of Chip and Dale shrank down, and Madoka's phone's menu was shown. In addition to her older apps, there were several new ones, titled Summons, D-Link, and G-Ship.

Madoka tapped the Summon app, and immediately her phone crackled. The image of Chip and Dale was replaced by a full screen one of Ramuh.

"_Ah, Madoka. Good to see you! It seems you've discovered the Gummiphone!_" Ramuh said.

"Ramuh!"

"You're in the phone?" Sayaka asked.

"_Electricity is my domain. It's a trivial matter to manifest myself in something small like this._" The video image of Ramuh shrunk to the side of the screen, revealing two icons in the app. One was a depiction of Ramuh, the other had the three faces of the Magus Sisters. "_With this, the lot of you should be able to call forth us Espers in your time of need._"

"Sweet!" Kyoko commented, now looking at her own Gummiphone. She then looked back at Madoka's.

"Hey, how come she has one that we don't. What's D-Link?"

"_D-Link is short for Dimension Link. It is a magical power created by Master Aqua that allows Key-bearers to draw upon the power of those whose Hearts they have connected with._" Yen Sid explained.

Madoka opened the app, and inside their were icons of each of her friends. Mami, Kyoko, Sayaka and Nagisa. "Wow..."

"So what's G-Ship?" Mami asked.

Ramuh winked out, and the screen shifted back to Chip and Dale. "_Well, you were asking how you were going to get to Radiant Garden._"

"_There are certain points where you can enter and exit worlds, places where the boundary can be bypassed with the right know how._" Dale explained. "_It shouldn't be hard from where you are._"

"With this, you should be able to enter the Gummi Ship and fly between Worlds!" Chip said.

"We have a ship?!" Kyoko exclaimed. "Like a _spaceship?!_"

"Oh my gosh! That sounds awesome!" Sayaka said.

"_Yeah, it's our latest model! When your ready to leave, just use the app and you'll be transported to the ship!_" Dale said. "_We'll see you then!_"

"_Happy flying!_" The two chipmunks waved and then the image cut out.

"So…" Madoka looked back at the room. The three fairies smiled encouragingly at her. "I guess this is goodbye for now."

She had learned a lot in these few days, and now, she was headed off to train with other Key-bearers to learn even more. Kairi was also a Princess of Heart like herself. She couldn't deny that she was eager to meet her.

"Indeed. I wish you the best on your journey." Yen Sid said. "May your Heart be your guiding key."

Madoka pressed the button, and a white light enveloped her and the others. The tower study faded away.

* * *

When the light faded, the girls found themselves in what appeared to be the bridge of a ship. Through the windows, they could see a gorgeous view of the Lanes Between, all the stars in the sky.

"Alright! Let's get moving! Warp speed!" Kyoko leaped towards the pilot's seat, only to be pulled back by Mami.

"I'll be the one handling this." She said.

"Why?"

"Because I'm the only one here with an actual license!"

"Yeah, a _drivers license_!" Kyoko shot back.

"Which is still one more license than you." Mami answered. She then sat at the pilot's seat and tapped the screen, at which another image of Chip and Dale appeared.

"_Hello again!_" Chip said.

"_So you're ready to depart to Radiant Garden?_" Dale asked.

"Yes." Mami said. "Though I've never flown a ship before."

"It shouldn't be that hard. The autopilot will handle most of the work of getting you there. For now, just select a world, and it should take you there!"

A hologram appeared depicting a sphere with giant buildings and trees emerging from it. A train circled around the place.

"That must be Twilight Town."

"Alright, let's see..." Mami gestured towards the hologram and it slid to the side. A new one appeared, depicting Yen Sid's tower and the floating island it was built on. The text said "The Mysterious Tower."

"No, that's where we are right now." Mami gestured again, and another appeared, depicting a place that seemed similar. Madoka gasped when she saw the words Mitakihara. The image that went with it was of Mitakihara city beneath a moon that appeared to be severed in half. Mitakihara sat in the middle of a spiral galaxy surrounded by some sort of dark barrier.

"Home..." Nagisa said.

Unfortunate memories bubbled back to the surface, putting a damper on Madoka's mood. While this was all amazing, she remembered what had happened to lead her to these circumstances in the first place and slumped back in a nearby chair.

"We could go back…" Sayaka said.

"Don't bother… there's nothing left there." Kyoko said, the bitterness clear in her voice.

"Right…" Mami quickly gestured, removing that hologram and displaying another one. This one depicted a beautiful castle surrounded by flowers and smaller buildings, all encased in a white ring. Fountains were everywhere. The text stated Radiant Garden.

"Alright. Let's get going." As Mami selected the World, the ship began moving.

* * *

The Gummi Ship was amazing! Not only did it have a bridge complete with multiple seats and a gorgeous view of the outside world, but a full living quarters as well. Bedrooms, a training area, and a fully stocked kitchen, much to Mami's pleasure.

Though they had fought for their lives multiple times against horrid monsters, surviving by the skin of their teeth. Though they were now caught up in a war for the fate of the universe, one had to stop and appreciate things like this. Little things that added a sense of normalcy to the entire situation.

There were a wide variety of ingredients. Meats, fruits, vegetables, breads, cheeses, and spices. Some she recognized, others were clearly bizarre things from Worlds she could only imagine. What, for example was a prickle pepper, a gyshal green, a gourd potato, a rainbow egg, a bannock, or a gaspberry?

As she was pondering this she heard footsteps behind her, and turned to see Nagisa.

"What are you making?" She asked.

"Haven't decided yet." Mami said.

"Something cheesy!" Nagisa asked.

"Of course!" Mami said with a smile. She considered what she had to work with. Might as well start simple. "How about a cheeseburger soup?"

"That sounds great!" Nagisa cheered.

"Alright, but your helping me. It will be good for you to learn how to do this yourself. Go find the carrots, celery, onions, and potatoes and chop them. I'll get the broth going and then brown the meat."

"Sure!" Nagisa said, eagerly getting started.

Thus the two of them got to work. Mami hummed to herself as she moved about the kitchen, combining the ingredients together with practiced ease. Occasionally, she stepped over to check on Nagisa's work. She was certainly enthusiastic and eager, but inexperienced. Her cuts were messy and clumsy, but it wasn't much of a problem. Mami smiled, even in the midst of a war, it was nice to have moments like this.

* * *

_Slash, dodge, thrust._

In the training room, Kyoko ran through the various spear sequences. The place was amazingly convenient, capable of creating obstacles and enemies to test her abilities against. The simulated enemies were simple glowing shapes in a vaguely humanoid form, but they served their purpose enough, something for her to experiment with moves on, and to vent her feelings at the same time.

_Block. Kick. Stab._

She was in her costume. Despite how impractical the getup seemed, it was surprisingly functional. The fabric seemed to be resistant to damage, and protected from injuries. Even the duster, which seemed like it would easily get caught on things was actually really resistant to that, easily and effortlessly sliding free of snags and catches.

Even stranger, despite the fact that their outfits came with heels, nobody's balance seemed to be affected. If anything, Kyoko felt _more_ balanced in those boots. Whatever sense that made.

_Spin. Slash. Leap._

Fighting to save the universe. They were supposed to be heroes. They even looked the part now, running around in frilly and skimpy outfits like it was a damned otaku-bait anime. Madoka was even some sort of pure-hearted Chosen One or some nonsense. Because of course she was.

The others seemed so into this. Excited. But she had seen stuff like this go down before. Trying to save the world. It didn't work out. Her father was the kindest, most compassionate person she had ever known, but it had only doomed him in the end, rejected by the people who should have listened the most. They didn't actually want to learn about God and Christ and spread love to better the world. They just wanted the feeling that they were righteous without having to actually put in any effort. To pat themselves on the back saying they were a good person. To have something to smugly hold over others. Challenge that and they turned on him.

_Punch. Trip. Stab._

Heroics didn't really get one anywhere, did they? She had heard the stories like the others. Eraqus and his pupils had trained their whole lives to be heroes, and had all suffered horrible fates for their trouble. Murdered by their best friend, placed into a coma, lost in eternal darkness, vanishing from existence.

And then Sora and his friends suffered at the hands of Xehanort's actions as well. No matter how many times they thought they had him beat, he always came back in some other form to make their lives miserable. The whole affair would be hilarious if it wasn't so unremittingly sad.

_Stab. Stab. Stab._

In reality, only the meanest, most ruthless and cold-hearted people prospered. Heroism and compassion were lies told by those at the top to trick people beneath them into not challenging them. The world was a place of cold indifference. Dog eat dog. Law of the jungle. Survival of the fittest.

With the powers she had, she could be at the top of the food chain. Do whatever she wanted. Have whatever she wanted. Money, games, food, pleasure, whatever. That was what mattered. Live for yourself only. That was the way it was.

_But does it have to be that way?_

_Stab. Stab. Stab._

As Yen Sid's question came back to her, unbidden, her thoughts turned to more recent years. Surviving on the streets had been harsh. Sometimes she could get a good haul and feast on stolen food in a fancy hotel room, other times she had a run of bad luck and was stuck eating out of garbage cans and dumpsters, and sleeping on benches and in alleyways in the rain. Sometimes it turned out asshole restaurants would pour _fucking bleach_ on the food they threw away and then she'd spend the night puking her guts out.

It was at the end of a week of such rainy misfortune that she had encountered Mami. Cold, wet, hungry, sick, and miserable, she had by complete chance stumbled upon her old friend. When she found out Kyoko's situation, she had without hesitation offered her a place to stay.

_Stab. Stab. Stab._

If she had been in better condition, Kyoko wondered if she would have refused. As it stood, she was too weak to resist, and had accepted.

Despite herself, living with Mami and Nagisa was nice. She had food security. She had school. She had people to talk to. She had friends. And then it had all gone down the drain. Wake up one morning cuddled up with a spear. Look out the window and see the city on fire. Step into the living room and get attacked by monsters.

_Stab. Stab. Stab._

They were on a suicide mission. Kyoko was sure of that. What she wasn't sure of was whether she even cared or not. Her life was a fucking clusterfuck of nonsensical bullshit. What else did she have to even look forwards to? Might as well go out with a-

Kyoko felt an impact on her back and stumbled forwards. She turned to see one of the simulated enemies had hit her.

"_Training sequence incomplete._" A computerized voice said. "_Repeat sequence?_"

"Sure. Why the hell not?" Kyoko sighed and dropped into a fighting stance.

* * *

Even now, it was difficult to wrap her head around. As she curled up on an alcove next to a window, sketchbook in hand, she stared out at the Ocean Between. There were stars everywhere. She had heard that the reason space looked so black and empty in pictures taken by astronauts was because cameras worked weirdly out there, and to the eye, it was a brilliant display of countless stars.

Now, she could see it for herself and it was indeed beautiful. She could see strangely shaped objects, some looked like asteroids, but others were strangely colored platforms, objects and bits of debris. Some looked like bits of ice or floating islands. Some even had multicolored clouds or lakes and plants on them.

Beyond that were the stars themselves. Way to many to count. And then, each and every one of them was a World. Madoka thought of her own World. Beyond just planet earth there was the entire solar system. Then the Milky Way galaxy, the galaxy cluster, and whatever categories above that. Some worlds were small apparently, just single cities or forests or kingdoms. Others were big like her own. All of that variety. All of that possibility. It was mind boggling.

"Hey, how are you holding up?" Sayaka approached.

"I'm fine." Madoka said. "Thanks for asking.

"What'cha working on?" Sayaka asked, pointing towards the sketchbook.

"Nothing much. Just drawing what comes to mind." Madoka said, looking at her work. It was her, Sayaka, Kyoko, Mami and Nagisa, all in costume and fighting a group of Shadows. "It's all so much to take in."

"I get the feeling. Only like last week we were in school and now we're on a spaceship flying between dimensions to fight monsters with magical powers."

"Yeah."

"At least it comes with some nice perks!" Sayaka leaped back and there was a flash of light as her blue tank top, capri jeans and white shirt transformed into her costume. She cast _Aero_ and struck a pose, crossing her arms while the wind dramatically blew her cape. "I look fabulous!"

Madoka giggled, and then stood up and transformed herself. Even now, the costume felt so perfect as she twirled. She had seen it in her dream. But what about the other things? That depiction of herself with that flowing white dress and wings.

She recalled that she had seen Homura in that skimpy black dress, and she had later showed up wearing exactly that. And what was that strange monster that had appeared at the very end of the dream? It didn't seem to be Heartless, and it also felt eerily familiar.

"Dinner's ready!" She heard both Mami and Nagisa call from the kitchen.

"Good, I'm starving!" Sayaka said. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah." Madoka said. They both reverted to their normal clothes, and headed towards the kitchen, meeting with Kyoko along the way.

The soup smelled delicious as Mami ladled it out. Her cooking always made her mouth water. It was as good as Papa's. As she prepared to eat, she smiled. There was a lot she didn't know, and a lot she was going to have to face in the future, but now, it could all be forgotten, at least for the moment. A meal with friends really was a treasure like that.

* * *

_Thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding!_

_~Dragonexx_


	28. Journey into Mystery

**Chapter 28**

**Journey into Mystery**

* * *

The sound of warning alarms was like a jolt through the body. Worse than even an alarm clock, it pounded through Madoka's ears, shocking her out of whatever dreams she had been having and galvanized her into action.

There were red lights flashing everywhere. Madoka leaped out of bed and she rushed out of her room to see the confused faces of the others as they emerged as well.

"What's going on?!" She asked.

"I don't know!" Mami answered.

Suddenly the ship shook, sending everybody stumbling about.

"Did we hit something?" Sayaka asked.

"Look!" Nagisa pointed towards a window, where for the briefest second, something streaked past.

"Another ship?"

Madoka rushed over to get a better look at what was out there, only for a knot to form in her stomach as she recognized the symbol on the ship.

"Heartless! We're under attack!"

The girls rushed towards the bridge, stumbling occasionally as the ship shook from impacts.

"Weapons?! Does this thing have weapons?!" Kyoko shouted as she looked around the bridge.

"I don't know!" Mami said.

"It has to!" Sayaka said.

The ship shook from another impact. Madoka looked outside again, seeing several Heartless ships approaching, shooting lasers at them. The ship shook at the impact.

"Are you serious?!" Kyoko said.

"What do we do?" Nagisa shouted.

"We fight!" Kyoko said, heading towards the pilots seat, only for Mami to beat her to it.

"I think I've got this!" Mami leaped into the pilots seat and made a hard turn to the left, dodging a laser blast. All the other girls stumbled about from the sudden motion.

"One of these has to be a weapon!" Kyoko leaped into another seat, and started frantically pushing buttons.

"Don't do that!" Mami said. "We don't know what any of those do!"

There was a sudden flash, as apparently a series of fireworks were released from the ship. At the same time the windshield wipers were activated.

"Well it's better than letting them shoot at us. Which you should really get on by the way!" Kyoko shot back, still mashing buttons. Now a disco-ball descended from the ceiling while a hologram of Mickey Mouse disco dancing appeared.

"Why is that even a feature?!" Nagisa asked.

Mami jerked the ship again, forcing everyone to hang on again.

"What are you doing?!" Kyoko asked.

"There's an asteroid field. Maybe I can lose them there!"

"The girl who's never flown a ship is going to try to do an asteroid field run! Yeah, that sounds _great_!" Just then, Kyoko's button mashing finally produced results.

"Weapon systems engaged!"

"Ha! Finally! Prepare to die!" She laughed as she grabbed the controls and began opening fire, though her aim wasn't that good, missing more than she hit.

"You're not very good at this." Sayaka said.

"Well maybe we should switch then! She's the one who does guns!"

"_What?!_" Mami said. Just then the ship shook as it bounced off an asteroid. "What makes you think you'd be better at this?!"

"Trust me! I've played _Ace Combat_!"

"More video games?!"

"Well have you ever even played _Asteroids_?!"

"Are we seriously having this conversation again?!" Sayaka asked, only for another shake of the ship to knock her out of her seat, leaving her grunting in pain.

Thankfully, the asteroid field seemed to be harming the Heartless ships even more, as they crashed and exploded against the drifting rocks.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as the pursuit died down, only for Madoka to notice something.

"_Look out!_" Madoka shouted, as an asteroid drifted into their path. But it was too late. The asteroid was drifting closer and closer, too fast and too big to maneuver around.

Then, all of a sudden, the rock exploded. Smaller bits of debris slammed into the ship, and the lights flashed ominously. Several instruments sparked.

When they could see through the debris, Madoka gasped. Floating in front of them was a massive Heartless, uncomfortably resembling a gigantic spider.

Madoka felt powerless. Here she was, trapped in a ship unable to do anything while they group was chased by Heartless ships. The Keyblade could do nothing against them.

Kyoko immediately opened fire on the Heartless. However the shots didn't seem to have any effect, merely bouncing off of the target.

"Crap! What now! Do we have any stronger weapons?" Kyoko started fumbling with buttons again, to no avail.

"Get us out of here!" Sayaka shouted.

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Mami said. The ship accelerated, just in time as the Heartless let loose an absurd barrage of lasers and projectiles. Despite Mami's best efforts, the ship shook harder and harder with each impact. Electricity ran along the controls, and the lights went completely out.

"Were not going to make it!" Nagisa exclaimed with fear. More and more shots struck the ship, so much that the darkness of space was lit as brightly as day. The ship shook harder and harder, and that light became brighter and brighter, now mixed with roaring noise. The others screamed.

Madoka forced her eyes open, and in the bright flashes saw some shadowy silhouette appear in front of the ship. Acting on instinct more than anything else, she summoned her Keyblade and raised it into the air as the light became blinding and searing...

* * *

Everything hurt. That was the first thing Madoka felt upon returning to consciousness. Pain. She struggled to move, that only causing more pain. Eventually, she managed to focus her mind enough to channel magic.

"_Cure!_" A green light shone across her body, and immediately, she felt relief as the soothing magic healed her injuries. Her vision was no longer blurry, and her hearing was more focused. She realized that she was lying in the grass.

Madoka sat up and looked around. She was in a forest of some sort. Not one she recognized. She stood up, and leaped up into a tree. She still didn't recognize where she was and she couldn't see any of her friends.

Madoka pulled out her gummiphone, only to find that she couldn't get in contact with any of them. They weren't picking up. She sighed, and leaped back down to the ground. Well, she wasn't going to figure things out just standing around here. She was about to place the Gummiphone away when a familiar voice sounded.

"_Madoka?_"

She looked at the phone, seeing the screen crackle.

"Ramuh? Is that you?"

"_Are you okay?_" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Madoka said. "I can't get in contact with the others though."

"_We'll have to work on that._"

"So, where am I?" Madoka asked.

"_I'm not sure. It does seem familiar though._" Ramuh said. "_Can't quite place it however._"

At that moment, there was the sound of an explosion, somewhere off in the distance. She could hear screams. When she looked in the direction the sound came from, she could see smoke trailing into the sky. It looked dangerous, but it was also the only lead she had on anything.

"_That looks risky. Be careful._" Ramuh clearly knew what she was thinking.

"_Right._" Madoka placed the phone away, and began running through the forest. It wasn't long before she encountered people, screaming and running. Every so often a pulse of energy would be fired from somewhere in the distance, hitting a tree or occasionally a person. They mainly wore clothing that was old-fashioned in nature, like something from a quaint European village, though there was something subtly different about it that Madoka couldn't quite put her finger on.

More importantly was what they were running from: Heartless.

Armored Knights pursued the fleeing people in packs, cutting down the ones that lagged behind. In the distance, similarly armored Heartless carrying bows launched arrows at the fleeing people, making the sky rain death.

Madoka clenched her fists. She wasn't going to let what happened in Mitakihara happen here. There was a flash, and she was in her costume, holding Crystal Clarity in her hands.

She pointed the weapon forwards and shouted "_Quake!_"

A portion of the ground burst beneath a crowd of Heartless, destroying them before they could slash the people fleeing from them. Madoka landed in front of the group, who looked at her with confusion. Absentmindedly, she wondered if she was in some kind of fantasy world, like something from an isekai manga. She couldn't dwell on those thoughts for long though. She had people to save!

"Go! Go! Run!" She gestured. They nodded, and kept fleeing, while Madoka spun and narrowly blocked the swing from a Knights sword. She kicked the Heartless away and then leaped towards it, bringing down her Keyblade on the monster, destroying it.

She heard a twanging sound, and then rolled to the side as a barrage of arrows came raining down on her. More Heartless were approaching. Even worse, there were still civilians in the line of fire.

"_Blizzard!_" She shouted, pointing her Keyblade at the ground. A wall of ice sprung up, intercepting the arrow shots.

"Is anybody hurt?" Madoka asked. She immediately noticed several people nursing arrow wounds. "Don't worry, I'm on it!"

Madoka rushed over to them. The arrows were clearly produced by some sort of Heartless magic, as they were fading into wisps of darkness, unfortunately leaving the wounds to start bleeding profusely. Though she flinched at the sight of the blood, she took a deep breath and continued.

"_Cure!_" Madoka held out her hand over the wound. A green light shone, and the injured woman relaxed. The wound was healed, leaving the woman perfectly healthy.

"T-thank you!" She said, smiling widely.

"No problem!" Madoka said, she then proceeded to heal the others. "Now go! Get to safety! I'll hold them off!"

As she said those words, the ice barrier started to crack. The civilians cringed and some screamed in fear.

"Hurry!" She gestured away.

The people nodded and began to flee. As the barrier broke down, Madoka focused, concentrating on the feeling of helping those people. The Flowmotion aura surrounded her, and as the ice shattered completely, she dashed forwards. When she reached the Heartless, she spun rapidly, destroying those around her.

She then turned and unleashed an _Aero_ spell, knocking away another barrage of arrows. More Heartless were approaching. There appeared to be no end to them!

But she was stronger now. She had more tools in her arsenal. Madoka rushed forwards, sliding beneath another volley of arrows, and closing the distance with the archers. As she did so, she transformed Crystal Clarity into Eternal Struggle.

She immediately felt the boost in strength and force, the her strikes coming harder and faster. The archers couldn't keep up, too slow to attack and too slow to dodge. She finished off her attack sequence by slamming the ground, releasing another Quake spell, destroying the Heartless around her.

Before she could even celebrate, a fireball was shot at her. Madoka ducked, and then rolled out of the way as a burst of lightning came crashing towards her as well. Bell shaped Heartless were hurling spells at her.

Madoka switched back to Crystal Clarity, feeling the enhancement to her magic. She then pointed it at the cluster of Heartless.

"_Aero!_" The magic took form as a raging whirlwind, sucking all the Heartless together and battering them with fierce winds until they were destroyed. Madoka then leaped into the cyclone, using it's winds to propel her high into the air.

From there, she could see the source of the smoke. A village. She switched back to Eternal Struggle and came crashing down on another group of Heartless, using Flowmotion to create a burst of energy, destroying them. She then approached the village.

It was a fairly small village, comprised of single story huts. Most of them had been damaged in the fighting, though a few were still intact. Fire was everywhere. Just as Madoka was about to start searching for survivors, the fires flared, and out of them emerged Flame Cores, their wicked grin augmented by blazing fire. They immediately charged towards Madoka, who rolled out of the way. She then switched back to Crystal Clarity and pointed it at them.

"_Water!_" A stream of water emerged from the tip of her blade, spraying out towards the Heartless and extinguishing them. Some dodged out of the way, forcing Madoka to pull the water towards her, gathering it into a ball and then slamming that ball into the ground. As the Heartless came in for another charge, the water ball expanded, washing over them, and they were extinguished too.

Madoka breathed a sigh of relief, when she saw that there were no more Heartless around. At least for the moment. She then cast _Water_ again, directing a stream of water over the burning buildings of the village. Best not to let the fire spread. They were in a forest after all.

It was after the fires died down that Madoka could hear it. Screams and pounding. There were still people here!

She followed the noise to where it was coming from, to find a hut that was intact, though there were chains locking shut the door. There were people inside, screaming for help. With the Keyblade, a light tap released the chains, leaving her free to open the door. Inside, she could see multiple young men and women, clearly frightened. Madoka clearly hadn't been what they were expecting.

"Are you okay? Is anyone hurt?" Why were they locked in here? They clearly didn't do it to themselves, and Heartless didn't take prisoners. What had happened? Regardless, she had to get them out of here. "C'mon! You're safe! This way! Let's get moving!"

The prisoners tentatively followed her directions, moving out of the hut and through the village in the direction the others had fled to.

Their progress was cut off by a strange pulsing sound. There was a blue flash of light, and a building in front of them exploded. The villagers screamed and fled faster, while Madoka turned towards where the shot had come from.

Standing there was a figure clad in black horned armor holding some sort of launcher over its shoulder. She saw the weapon began to glow. They were going to fire on the civilians! Acting on the first thought to come to her mind, she hurled Crystal Clarity towards the cannon, knocking it out of the warriors grip.

The cannon landed on the ground just as it fired, the explosion destroying the weapon. The warrior looked at the resulting crater then back to Madoka. They drew a spiked club from their side and charged towards her.

Madoka immediately switched to Eternal Struggle, blocking the warriors swing. He laughed, in an oddly human-like tone. Madoka quickly realized that this was a person, not a Heartless. She leapt away, narrowly avoiding another swing.

She remembered what was said about dark people being able to control Heartless. That would explain the prisoners in the hut. The warrior leaped towards Madoka. She blocked the blow, though she was knocked off her feet. He was a lot stronger than he seemed, though she was still faster. She flipped in mid-air to right herself, hit the ground, and dashed to the side, dodging another swing, and then striking him with the Keyblade.

The warriors stumbled back, before attempting to strike again. However, Madoka transformed her Keyblade, changing Eternal Struggle into its hammer form. Before he could process what was happening. She smacked him with the accelerated hammer, sending him flying through a building where he lay still.

Now, Madoka returned Eternal Struggle to it's normal form and dismissed it, leaning over and catching her breath. She looked around the village. The people were safe, meaning she now had a chance to find out where-

Madoka's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of… hooves? She turned to see four more armored warriors mounted on horses approaching, weapons drawn as they bore down upon her.

Madoka immediately re-summoned her Keyblade and prepared to cast a spell at them, only for a cannon blast to knock her off her feet.

She rose to her feet, prepared to fight as the mounted warriors bore down on her, only to hear a voice ring out.

"Four shady fellows come rushing at a young lady? That's no way to win her affections!" There was whinny, and a white horse leaped in front of her. A blond man on top drew a rapier and with two swift slashes, cut down two of the warriors. The other two curved around him, one heading for Madoka while the other attempted to engage with the blonde man.

His distraction was just what she needed. She switched back to Crystal Clarity and then cast Fire at one of the raiders, blasting him off his horse.

The newcomer leapt off his own mount and kicked the last raider off of his, downing him with a thrust of his sword.

The blonde haired man then turned to her. "Now what's a fair maiden like yourself doing on such a desolate battlefield?"

"I-" Before Madoka could answer, she heard the sound of Heartless emerging. Dark corridors appeared, and from them emerged Armored Knights. Again? This was starting to get annoying.

"Ah, more of these beasties!" The blonde man said jovially as he raised his rapier. "You made the mistake of challenging Fandral the Dashing!"

* * *

"_Hello?_"

Her voice echoed loudly, but there was no response. There hadn't been one for the past few hours. Or so Nagisa supposed. It was really hard to tell time here. The clock function on her phone was fritzing out and she couldn't get in contact with anyone.

She wasn't even sure where she was. Some sort of cavern, though clearly not natural. She hadn't encountered anyone or anything else the entire time she'd been here, though she still had her costume and trumpet out. She wasn't scared. No. Definitely not scared. Her echoing footsteps were definitely not unsettling. No. Not at all.

Again, she tried to call the others on her phone. Again there was some sort of interference, the screen flickered red. That was odd. She had never seen a phone do that before.

Eventually, she looked up, to see a red glow emanating from around a corner. Nagisa rushed towards it, and paused at what she saw.

Standing on a bridge over a seemingly bottomless abyss was some sort of monolith, made of two slabs of stone. Suspended between the stones was something red and glowing.

Nagisa had once stayed up late binging horror movies with Sayaka and Kyoko. While Mami had disapproved, thinking it would give her nightmares, what bothered Nagisa more was the sheer number of poor decisions made by the people in those movies.

While that critical part of her told Nagisa that this thing was dangerous and she should stay away from it, another part told her that she had been wandering for hours and this was the first unusual thing she had encountered.

She took a deep breath, and carefully approached the monolith, slowly, and ready to back away should something suddenly happen. Nothing did. The monolith stayed where it was, still glowing with that red light.

Eventually, she came up to it. Tentatively, she poked it with her trumpet. Nothing happened. She poked it again. Nothing continued to happen.

Curiosity now piqued, she pulled herself up, looking into the gap between the stones. Nagisa was completely confused at what she saw. The glowing red light was emanating from some sort of fluid that was floating around between the stones. It was eerie to look at, feeling less like it was flowing and more like it was… suddenly, the fluid stopped moving. Nagisa was confused. What was it doing? Then, before she could react, the liquid lunged towards her...

* * *

_And here we are! The beginnings of the next arc!_  
_  
Thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding!_

_~Dragonexx_


	29. A Cacaphony of Ice and Fire

**Chapter 29**

**A Cacophony of Ice and Fire**

* * *

_Hot! Why does it have to be so hot?! _Kyoko had already stripped off her jacket and carried it beside her as she staggered through the cavern. She was already sweating like crazy. She was tempted to use that _Blizzard_ spell to cool down, but that wouldn't last forever and she'd probably just tire herself out faster. Again, she checked her phone. For whatever reason, she couldn't get into contact with anyone. Because of course.

After they crash-landed, Kyoko found that she was in a dark cave with little lighting. The ship was not nearby, which meant there were some magic shenanigans going on that caused the girls to separate from each other. She held up the phone, using it to light her way, and when she did, she found that the cave was lined with smooth black rock. She figured that she'd need to find her way out of this cave in order to look for the others, so she kept walking. But the further she went along the path, the higher the temperature seemed to rise.

The path she was following hit an incline, steep enough that she needed to start climbing. At first, Kyoko tried to leap up the path, but the soil was loose enough that she slipped and tumbled back to the ground, landing on her back with a grunt.

She had expected their quest to go horribly wrong, but she underestimated how goddamn fast it would happen. Ship probably blown up. No idea where she was other than stuck in a hot cave.

Kyoko gestured, and the red chains appeared in the air, providing her with some handholds from which to climb up. Eventually, she made it to the top, where the path became more level again, and she continued on her journey, but not before pausing again.

What the fuck was she even doing? Trying to save her world? Trying to fight the Heartless? She knew it was futile, so why did she go on? Was she just going through the goddamn motions? For what end? Why not just end it now?

_Because the others would be sad._ Said a small voice in the back of her head.

_What about them though?_ Mami was a useless worrywart, trying desperately to keep together a group that was clearly never meant to be together. Nagisa was a kid who probably barely understood what was even happening. Sayaka was stuck in delusions of heroism that would inevitably come crashing down around her. And Madoka… Fucking Madoka.

Why did it have to be her? Of course the spoiled rich kid got all the toys. A legendary weapon, unique powers, some stupid Mary Sue pure heart bullshit. And she was probably just like Sayaka, stuck believing some nonsense about heroics and good triumphing over evil. But she had never seen evil. Never seen all the awfulness of the world.

Kyoko snorted. If anyone deserved a Keyblade it was her. She'd lived through all that bullshit, surviving even when the world was trying it's hardest to end her. Starving. Sickness. Nearly freezing to death. Almost getting knifed. Almost getting abducted by a pimp. She had fought off all those and more, and yet, Madoka was the one who gets to be a hero. Well, fuck, she knew the world wasn't fair. But seriously?

As she looked up from her musings, she noticed that there was a light up ahead.

"Finally!" Kyoko rushed forwards. "Time to get out of this goddamn heat and into…"

As she stepped out of the cave, her hopes were let down.

"More heat. Because of course."

_Lava._ Why was there _lava_? She appeared to be standing in some sort of volcanic wasteland. The air was dry and foul smelling. The entire area appeared to be mostly lit by the glowing lava flows scattered about. In the distance, active volcanoes belched lava and smoke. Soot and ash formed clouds that covered the sky. Kyoko was amazed she could even breathe the air here.

"Hello?" Kyoko called out. Unfortunately, there was no response. As she expected. She was about to consider her options when her stomach growled loudly.

Kyoko loved food. More than just a necessity for staying alive it was one of the greatest pleasures in life. Food was comforting. She could forget everything she hated about the world for a time, as long as she was eating something. But now she was hungry and had no food. And everyone knew that a hungry Kyoko was extremely dangerous.

Kyoko then heard that watery sound she had come to dread, and turned to see Heartless appearing around her.

Well… almost everyone.

Some were fire themed. Because of course. She really shouldn't be surprised. Flame Cores and Red Nocturnes alongside several Soldiers. She remembered the lessons on the different types of Heartless.

_Well… at least I have something to vent on._ Kyoko thought as she tossed her jacket onto a nearby rock.

"_Blizzard Edge!_" Kyoko summoned her spear and wreathed the blade in freezing cold before thrusting towards one of the Heartless. The creature was too slow, and the blade pierced straight through it. The ice immediately extinguished its fires and its life. She then turned, spinning her spear and striking at the next two that attempted to charge her.

Kyoko was then forced to flip out of the way as the Nocturnes let loose with a barrage of _Fire_ spells, avoiding fireballs and jets of flame. Damn it all, it was hot enough already.

She held out her arms and chains formed, weaving together into a large, solid, and sturdy shield over her left arm. She held it between her and barrage of flames, and once the shield held, she then kicked off the ground, ramming into one of the Nocturnes. Before it could react, she leaped off of it, slashing with her spear as she did so, heading towards the next one before it could try to fly away. She slashed with her ice-encrusted spear, destroying it and then came down upon one of the Soldiers. She blocked the claw swipe of another with her shield and then thrust, destroying it.

Kyoko then leapt back from a flying kick and extended her spear into its segmented form. With a flick of her wrist, the weapon lashed out, sweeping across the battlefield, destroying all the remaining Soldiers.

Looking around, and seeing no more Heartless, she breathed a sigh of relief, and dismissed her weapon and shield. As she watched them disperse, she saw the captive hearts emerge from their bodies. They rose into the air, whereupon instead of fading away, they were consumed by darkness. Oh right. Madoka's Keyblade was the only thing that could permanently kill them. Because of course.

So now what? Kyoko sighed as she walked over to the rock her jacket hung from. As she picked it up, she heard a sound she hadn't expected to hear. Her phone ringing. She quickly dug into the pocket and pulled it out, answering it.

"Hello?"

"_Hello! Kyoko, is that you?!_"

She recognized the voice. "Sayaka?! Yeah, it's me!"

"_Oh thank goodness! I've been trying to get in contact with everyone for hours! Finally, somebody picked up! You have no idea-_"

"Where are you?" Kyoko interrupted.

"_Dunno. There's a bunch of volcanoes here though._"

"Same with me." Kyoko said.

"_Are you okay? That crash was brutal._"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Ran into some Heartless. Not a problem though."

"_Same. So how do we get to each other?_"

"No clue. No idea how far away we are." Kyoko replied.

"_Hmm… I know! I'm going to cast_ Thunder_! Tell me if you can see the flash!_"

Kyoko indeed did see the flash of electricity. A fair distance, but not unreachable on foot. Well… she had heading now, at the very least.

"I see it." Kyoko said. "Stay where you are, I'm on my way."

"_Then it's a date!_" Sayaka said playfully.

Kyoko rolled her eyes as she ended the call. This wasn't a time to play around. It seemed she was the only one who the severity of the situation. Regardless, she took off running in the direction the flash had come from.

Though it thankfully wasn't that far, she still had to contend with the dangerous environment, avoiding vents of volcanic gas and leaping over flows of lava.

Even she had to admit, the increased physical abilities that came with her powers were nice. Running fast, leaping high, increased strength and reaction times. The best part was how natural it all felt. The ease her powers came to her felt as though she was meant to have them. She jumped between rocks, avoiding bursts of lava as she headed towards where the flash came from.

Before long, Sayaka came into view. The blue-haired knight girl seemed to glide from her perch above, like she was some goddamn comic book heroine. She landed on the ground gracefully, flourishing her cape.

"_Tada!_ Good to see you again!"

"So… why are you in your costume?" Kyoko asked.

"Why aren't you in yours?" Sayaka asked.

"Because it's hot as tits out here! I'm wearing less like this. How are you not overheating in that big cape of yours?"

"I thought so too at first, but I'm actually cooler like this. I think the magic in it helps us adapt to the environment. Give it a try."

Kyoko obliged and summoned her costume. Almost immediately she felt better. It was still hot, but at least it was _bearable_. "Wow."

"Yeah."

The two of them walked in silence for a while, simply taking in the bizarre scenery, before Sayaka finally asked.

"So… any idea where we are?"

"Not a clue."

"Maybe it's Hell!" She said casually.

"No."

"Are you certain?" Sayaka asked. "Lava and volcanoes as far as the eye can see. Fire everywhere. Dark creatures. Looks like Hell to me."

"It's not Hell." Kyoko snarled.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. I'd know." Her father had rarely talked about the harsher things that were in the Bible. The Ten plagues. Hell. All the stuff in the Old Testament. All the fucked up shit in the book of Revelations. She supposed he figured people had enough to worry about without having to think about the earth burning up while the sea turns to blood and everyone dies horribly. Probably would have done them some good to get a dose of reality though. She had never stopped believing in God, though her impression of Him had changed for the worse since _that_ happened.

"Sorry…. That was insensitive, wasn't it?"

Kyoko grunted in agreement. Sayaka looked down at the ground, ashamed. It served her right. She had no reason to be so goddamn cheerful in this situation. The two girls continued in silence again for a long while simply walking. Eventually, Sayaka asked.

"So… how are you holding up?"

Kyoko turned towards Sayaka. "How am I holding up? _How am I holding up?_"

She knew it wouldn't do any good to lose her temper here and now, but the stress she had been feeling up until that point had built up more than she could handle. Her temper spilled over like an overflowing volcano. "It hasn't even been twenty-four hours since we started our quest, and what happens? Our ship gets shot down, everyone's scattered to God only knows where and we have no fucking food!"

Kyoko snarled. "We're trudging through a volcanic wasteland where red hot lava could come raining down on us at any time, we're all alone and we're going to die and nobody will even be able to bury us. So y'know. _I'm fine._"

Sayaka flinched as though she had been slapped in the face.

Kyoko sighed and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. She must have gotten something in them.

"Look, it's probably not as bad as it seems." Sayaka started to say. But Kyoko was having none of that.

"How, exactly?" Kyoko bitterly said. "Just believe in ourselves or some such nonsense? Trust in the light and all that sentimental crap?!"

Sayaka snorted. "Look, you may believe otherwise, but none of us are under any illusions that this is gonna be easy. I got the same exposition that you did. All the hell that those people went through. Are _still_ going through. It's kinda obvious that we should help them, right?"

"Sure… so you can pat yourself on the back and tell yourself what a good girl you've been."

"No, because they're in trouble and need our help!" Sayaka shouted. "Because Mitakihara City needs our help! As the survivors, we owe it to them to at least try."

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that."

Sayaka groaned in frustration. "Then _why_ are you even sticking around with us? You never really answered that question, did you?"

Kyoko grunted, but said nothing. She slowed down, letting Sayaka get ahead a bit. She had been wondering for a while now. She had told herself that this was a suicide mission, and her current circumstances would agree with her. But then what to do about that? See some pretty sights before she died?

The survivor in her told her to tell those circumstances to go fuck themselves. She had already endured everything life had hurled at her before, and she'd just do the same here.

The realist in her told her that sooner or later, her luck would run out. She'd run up against something she couldn't overcome. She'd fail and fall, just like everyone else. It was only a matter of time.

The survivor told the realist to quit being a bitch and toughen up. The realist responded with a comment about the survivor's mother. The survivor punched the realist in the face. The realist kicked the survivor in the shins. The survivor tackled the realist, knocking over the table and…

"_Oof!_" Kyoko was roused from her musings to find that she had bumped into Sayaka, who had paused. "Hey, watch it! Don't just stop suddenly!"

Sayaka however, said nothing.

"Helloooo? You in there?" Kyoko asked.

"There's something coming." Sayaka said, looking up at the sky.

"What do you mean…" Kyoko followed Sayaka's gaze. She then squinted, and rubbed her eyes to make sure they weren't lying to her. Yep… they definitely weren't. "Is that a _fucking dragon?_"

The loud roar affirmed that yes, that indeed was a _fucking dragon._ A massive horned reptilian creature wreathed in flames. In place of wings it appeared to have some sort of fire based jet boosters, and as it opened its mouth, a bright glow could be seen that heralded a wave of blazing destruction.

Both girls scattered as the _fucking dragon's_ fire breath came towards them narrowly avoiding incineration. Kyoko immediately summoned a spear, and looked up as the _fucking dragon_ turned in the air, prepared to make another pass.

Dammit, Mami, Nagisa, and Madoka were the ranged ones, and they were nowhere to be seen. Kyoko was a melee combatant, and her spellcasting wasn't as strong as the others. Sayaka was in a similar boat, save for healing spells.

Still, it seemed to be her only option at this moment. As the dragon came towards them again, Kyoko held out her hand, channeling thoughts of stillness and calm. "_Blizzard!_"

As the same time, she heard Sayaka shout. "_Water!_"

A shard of ice emerged from her hand, streaking towards the dragon as it approached, simultaneously to Sayaka's ball of water. Sayaka's attack hit first, soaking the dragon, and then Kyoko's ice shard struck, freezing the water before it could evaporate. apparently caused the dragon to react in pain, though it appeared to do little substantive damage. The dragon veered off course however, before turning again, prepared to make a third pass.

Fine then. If she couldn't do much to it from here, then she'd go up there. She crouched, feeling her legs tense up. As the dragon approached, Kyoko _jumped_.

She rocketed high into the air, above even the flying dragon, and then came streaking towards the creature's head. Her spear expanded in length and size, and Kyoko became a red meteor of fury. With a roar that would rival the dragon's, Kyoko scored a direct hit on the side of its head, tearing its skin open. Unfortunately, she was not quite expecting the dragon's skull to be as hard as it was, and the sudden impact caused her to lose grip of her spear. She tumbled over the dragon's back. Grunting, she conjured another spear and plunged it into the dragon's hide to stop her fall.

The monster roared and jerked its body, but Kyoko held on tight. The dragon attempted to send a pulse of flame across its body, but Kyoko transformed her spear into its segmented form, moving her further away from the dragons body, safely avoiding the flames.

"Ha! You ain't shakin' me off, scaly!" She then retracted the spear, quickly reeling herself into the dragon's body. At the same time she formed a second spear in her other hand and began stabbing into the dragon's body repeatedly upon landing.

The dragon roared in pain and then began spinning in the air. At first, Kyoko held on, but the dragon spun faster and faster, starting to make her dizzy and nauseous. Then, before she could gather her wits about her, the dragon sent a pulse of flame across her body. The fire struck Kyoko head on, and she cried out in pain, letting go of her spear and falling out of the sky, disoriented and in pain. She looked down, and realized that she was going to land in a pool of lava. Because of course.

Suddenly, she felt something collide with her. When she could refocus her vision, she saw Sayaka holding her in her arms, leaping off of the blue platforms she created, steadily headed towards the ground. There, she set Kyoko down and placed her hands on top of her.

"_Cure!_"

Instantly, Kyoko felt better as most of her burns began to heal.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Kyoko said.

"What were you thinking?!" Sayaka said.

"I was thinking that I'd kick its scaly ass!"

"Well, how'd that work out for you?" Sayaka asked. She turned back to the dragon. Kyoko followed her gaze, examining the creature. Despite the impressiveness of that feat, she hadn't actually incapacitated the dragon, only enraged it.

"So what do you suggest?" Kyoko shot back.

Looking at the flying behemoth, Sayaka raised her sword, and water flowed around it. "How about we bring it down to our level. Follow my lead!"

Then the two girls scattered as the dragon came in for another attack, and then Sayaka leaped into the air, creating platforms as the dragon came back for yet another sweep. Kyoko followed suit, using her newfound jumping ability to match her.

As the dragon approached, Sayaka cast _Water_, aiming directly at the dragons flame wings. Kyoko got what she was doing and followed suit, casting _Blizzard_ at the other. The wings shorted out, and the dragon roared in shock and confusion as it plummeted to the ground, plowing a long trench.

As the girls landed, the dragon righted itself, turned, and immediately charged towards them, roaring all the while. They leaped out of the way of its claw swipes, and then back into the fray.

Kyoko thrust her spear into the dragons side, and then was forced to back away as a pulse of flame engulfed the beast. It then turned towards her, inhaled and let loose a jet of fire. She leapt to the side and continued running as the dragon swept the fire across the area.

She skidded to a halt as the ground beneath her started crumbling away into a lava pool, then turned back to see the fire steadily growing closer. Again, she crouched and then jumped. Springing high into the air, over the dragon's flames, she then came streaking downwards, striking the dragon in the back. It roared in pain and the fire stream cut off. It sent another pulse of flame down its body, forcing Kyoko to push off of her spear, vaulting off the dragons body while leaving the weapon behind.

She landed near Sayaka who had surrounded herself in her cape. When she emerged, several duplicates of her cutlass surrounded her, which she then hurled towards the dragon. A target as big as that was hard to miss, and each of them struck true, burying themselves deep in its hide.

Again the dragon roared and charged towards them, pouncing like a lion. The girls scattered as it landed and created a shockwave of flame. When the flames abated, Kyoko summoned another spear and charged forwards. However the dragon spun, striking her with its tail and sending her flying, to tumble across the ground.

Elsewhere, she could hear another roar, and then Sayaka crying out in pain. Kyoko grit her teeth and forced herself to her feet. She had cut herself on several sharp rocks when she landed, it seemed, judging from the pain and bloodstains. But she could deal with that later. She turned back to the fighting and saw Sayaka leaping away from the dragon clearly bleeding from a claw gash in her side. The dragon was in hot pursuit, wildly slashing it's claws. Sayaka was attempting to turn it away with _Water_ spells, but the dragon was powering through it, enraged.

Kyoko ran towards the dragon raised her spear, encasing it in ice and cold. "_Blizzard Edge!_"

She hurled the icy spear at the dragon, impaling the dragon in the side and causing ice to form on it. The dragon roared in agony.

"_Gotcha!_" Kyoko formed another spear and prepared to close in. Unfortunately, that attack hadn't had as much of an effect as she initially thought. The dragon inhaled, and let loose yet another jet of flame. Kyoko was forced to stop and conjure a chain shield, barely in time to block the flame. Even blocking it, the heat was immense, and double unfortunately, the fire heated up her shield, searing her arm badly.

But she held on despite the pain, steadily pushing forwards, only collapsing to her knees when the flames finally abated. She dismissed the shield, and looked at her ruined arm, burnt to nearly black by the flames and in searing agony.

Too late, she looked back up towards her opponent, seeing the dragon reel back, and then spin. The last thing she saw was the tail approaching her head. Because fuck life.

* * *

It was quiet now… Still blazing hot, but… quiet. She also felt good. Eventually, she managed to open her eyes, and saw Sayaka leaning over her.

"Good, you're awake." She said.

"Wha-" Kyoko asked. "What happened?"

She tried to sit up, only for her body to explode in pain.

"Easy! You took some really bad hits. I couldn't heal it all right away."

"What happened." Kyoko asked.

"The dragon knocked you out. Tail slammed you into the dirt." Sayaka said.

"Ugh..."

"The dragon regained it's flight not long after. I had to pick you up, and carry you away to this cave here."

"And so you just _ran?!_ Some hero." Kyoko mocked.

"Okay, what the _hell_ is wrong with you?!"

"Me? You're the one who ran away! After all that nonsense about heroics, you cut and run like a bitch!"

"What?! Did that tail knock some screws loose or something?" Sayaka shouted. "I wasn't going to just leave you lying there to get killed!"

"It would have probably given you an opening."

Sayaka paused, and then grit her teeth. "Do you have a death wish or something?! What's with all this edgelord bullshit?"

"None of your fuckin' business."

"Well, consider this: why fight the dragon at all? It's not a Heartless. We don't really have anything to gain. It's probably just territorial. It stopped trying to get at us when I brought you into this cave."

"Either that or it just can't fit."

"Same difference, it's gone." Sayaka said.

Kyoko sighed, noticing a strange heat in her throat as she did so. She coughed slightly and felt the unpleasant feeling of that heat running out through her nostrils. "So what now then?"

"Now, you rest. I'll take watch."

"Fuck you, I'm being the night watch." She attempted to move again, only to experience more pain.

"No. I exhausted myself healing your extensive injuries. We'll have to complete the rest tomorrow. I'm the party healer, and I say you need sleep!"

"Fine." Kyoko said, settling in. Her conditions weren't exactly comfortable, lying on a pile of rocks and all. Then she saw Sayaka approach her. She removed her cape and draped it over Kyoko. She wasn't sure how to feel about that. Eventually, she asked. "Sayaka?"

"Yeah..."

"Um… thanks…" Kyoko said awkwardly.

"What was that?" Sayaka asked, grinning.

"You know what I said, stupid." Kyoko said.

"Yeah, well, good night." Sayaka said, leaning against a rock, keeping a watch on the path to the entrance of the cave.

"Yeah… same." Despite her frustrations, she felt incredibly tired. Kyoko blamed the lack of food. They'd have to work on that tomorrow. At the moment, Kyoko drifted off to sleep, wondering how dragon meat tasted.

* * *

____Thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding!____

_~Dragonexx_


	30. Battle in the Green Land

**Chapter 30**

**Battle in the Green Land**

* * *

With the two of them working together, the Heartless didn't stand a chance. Once, Madoka had watched Olympic fencing, however skilled those fencers were, they were nothing compared to Fandral. His strikes were fast as lightning. He was like a fencer on steroids, dodging, parrying, thrusting and countering.

The strikes of the Armored Knights were simple for him to block, and he easily slid his attacks in between their guards, landing critical blows. With him fighting at Madoka's side, the fight was over before the Heartless could land a single hit.

"Thank goodness." Madoka said. She didn't see any villagers left, so she figured they must have all gotten away.

"Yes, a valiant victory!" Fandral cheered, raising his sword.

"Um..."

"Oh, forgive my manners. I believe proper introductions are in order." He bowed dramatically. "Fandral the Dashing, of Asgard!"

"Um… I'm Madoka Kaname." Madoka awkwardly bowed back.

"Well met, Madoka! Though I must ask what such a fair maiden like yourself is doing on this field of battle. You do not appear to be Vanir."

"Um..." Madoka didn't know what a "Vanir" was. "I don't really know where I am. There was a crash and I got separated from my friends. Have you seen them? Sayaka Miki. She has blue hair and eyes. Same age as me. Kyoko Sakura. She has red hair and eyes. Mami Tomoe, she's blonde, and Nagisa Momoe, she has white hair."

"I'm afraid I have not encountered any such figures."

"Oh..."

"But I can tell you that you are in Vanaheim."

"Um… where's that?" Madoka asked.

"Well it's-"

There was a sudden blue flash, and an explosion next to them. Both of them immediately drew their weapons and turned to where it had come from. At first they saw nothing, but then they saw silhouettes emerging from the woods on the other side of the village. Intimidating figures in mismatched, piecemeal armors, charging in on horseback. There were many. Too many to count.

Madoka dropped into a fighting stance, but Fandral instead spoke up. "All the civilians have been evacuated, correct?"

"Um… yes." Madoka answered.

"Then I believe that discretion is the better part of valor. We'll have to finish this discussion at another time. Firehooves! To me!" Fandral whistled, and his white horse whinnied and dashed over to him, with him leaping on top of it. He held out his hand to Madoka. "Get on! There's no reason to stick around here to face these Marauders. We'll meet up with the main force!"

Madoka nodded, and leapt onto the back of the horse, ducking slightly as another cannon blast came streaking towards them.

"Hyah!" Fandral grabbed the reins of his horse and the beast ran. When Madoka turned, she saw the Marauders in hot pursuit.

"Hmm... it appears they're gaining on us." Fandral said.

"I can help with that!" Madoka turned around and transformed Crystal Clarity into its bow form She then pulled on the string and chanted the magic spell "_Quake!_"

An arrow made of stone formed, which she fired at the ground. Massive blocks of stone erupted from the ground, tripping some of the horses, while others slammed headlong into them. Those who were further behind had more time to react. They spurred their mounts, and they leaped over the rocks.

However, Madoka was ready.

"_Aero!_" She fired another arrow, this one comprised of violently compressed air. As the horses leaped into the air, the arrow exploded in front of them, blasting both them and their riders away. She then began firing pink arrows at them forcing the Marauders to start falling back.

"Now _that's_ impressive." Fandral said.

Madoka breathed a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, that relief didn't last long. Soon enough Madoka heard the sounds of fighting. More Marauders were attacking villagers, aided by Heartless. Fortunately, this time it appeared that the civilians had defenders. There was an Asian looking man wielding a morningstar fighting against the raiders, aided by several other warriors.

Madoka immediately leapt off the horse, bringing Crystal Clarity's Keyblade form down on a Shadow, then turning and shooting several fireballs towards others. Fandral remained on his horse, charging through the Marauders striking with his rapier.

"Hogun, good to see you! What's the situation?" Fandral said.

"More monsters incoming!" He shouted as he struck down a Marauder.

True to his words, Heartless were swooping down from above, these dragonic in appearance. Tagging along with them were other airborne heartless, creatures clad in bandanas and sporting orange wings.

At the same time, more Marauders were approaching as well. The grinning, leering bandits surrounded the village like wolves surrounding a wounded stag.

One of the Wyverns suddenly dive bombed towards Madoka. She jumped over it and struck it's back with her Keyblade. The strike scored a wound, but it wasn't going to go down in one blow. It swooped back up into the sky, while the Air Vikings closed in, striking at Madoka with punches and kicks. She deflected the blows, keeping up with the rapid pace of the attacks.

She backflipped away, and then hurled Crystal Clarity, cutting through two of the Vikings, then clenching her fist. She shouted "_Fire!_" and hurled a fireball at the others as they moved out of the way of the Keyblade, destroying them. She then resummoned her Keyblade to her hand, and dodged again as the Wyvern she had previously wounded came in for another attack.

Madoka rolled to the side and then pointed her Keyblade at the Heartless. "_Blizzard!_"

A wave of freezing cold emerged from the tip of her blade, causing the wings of the Heartless to ice over. It plummeted from the sky and came crashing down near Hogun, who brought his morningstar down on it's head, destroying it.

As Madoka was about to leap towards the other Wyvern, she saw a flash of movement in the corner of her eye. Too late, she turned to block, instead getting smacked by one of the Marauders clubs and sent flying into the trunk of a tree.

The Marauder was quickly downed by Fandral, who attempted to move to Madoka's aid, only to be attacked by several more.

Madoka leapt to her feet, ignoring the pain and then dodged as the other two Wyverns came streaking towards her. She held out her Keyblade and shouted "_Aero!_"

A burst of wind caught beneath their wings, blowing them off track and sending them careening to crash into trees. Madoka channeled Flowmotion, streaking towards first one, and then the other as it attempted to rise.

As she finished them off, she turned to see that the Marauders had been dealt with as well. The civilians had fled safely away.

"So what now?" Fandral asked.

"_Stand and fight!_" Hogun cried.

They looked forward and saw more Marauders and Heartless approaching. Even worse, something in the distance was causing the forest to shake. Trees were being knocked over one by one, drawing ever closer.

"Have you considered turn and run?" Fandral offered.

Hogun looked to the others. "_Fall back! Fall back!_ To the main village!"

The warriors nodded and heeded his commands. Madoka leaped back on Firehooves and the group took off.

* * *

Upon arriving at the main village, Madoka felt the scope of the fighting sink in. She had landed in the middle of a _war zone_. Civilians screamed and fled as Marauders and Heartless rampaged through the village, though here they were opposed by warriors in golden armor, fighting off the enemy or helping the villagers escape. This was something she had only seen in movies.

"This will be the final fight! Let's finish this!" Hogun said, charging forwards.

"Hyah!" Fandral spurred his horse, dashing into combat.

Activating Flowmotion, Madoka leaped off the horse into the battle, streaking towards a group of enemies. She came down next to an armored an armored man with red hair and a long beard wielding an axe. He was surrounded by Neoshadows and a trio of Marauders. Using Eternal Struggle as a bat, Madoka slammed her weapon into the Heartless, sending them flying away and giving the man some breathing room.

"Good one!" He said enthusiastically as he brought his axe down on one of the recovering Heartless.

Suddenly, one of the Marauders charged towards Madoka. She blocked the blow, again knocked slightly back from the force of the attack. She managed to maintain her balance, and then dashed forwards, only for a second Marauder to strike at her, cutting into her side.

Madoka tumbled to the ground, and narrowly avoided a downward thrust from the third, rolling away. Just then, she heard the sound of hoofbeats, and saw a black haired woman in armor come riding towards her. The woman leapt from her horse and, with a flying kick and a battle cry, caused one of the Heartless to disintegrate., She then engaged with two of the Marauders, smacking one with her shield before finishing him with the sword. She then kicked the other in the face, sending him sprawling to the ground, unconscious.

With the heat taken off of her, Madoka backed away from the other Marauder. With enough distance, Madoka cast _Cure_ closing her wound. She then leapt back into the fight, surprising the enemy, getting past his guard to hit him head on with a series of strikes with the Keyblade. He stumbled back before managing to strike again. Madoka was again lifted off her feet. This time however, she flipped in mid air, and then slammed Crystal Clarity into the ground as she landed, at the same time shouting "_Quake!_"

A pillar of stone erupted from the ground beneath the Marauder, catapulting him into the air, where he landed in a pile of rubble, out of commission.

The battle wasn't over however. More Heartless approached them. Armored Knights and Large Bodies. The warrior woman didn't hesitate, charging forwards to engage with the enemy. Madoka followed her, cutting through the Knights alongside her.

When one of the Large Bodies charged, Madoka leapt away while the warrior woman stood her ground, holding against the attack with her shield, causing the creature to stumble back. She then moved to stab its belly, only to recoil in shock when her blade simply bounced off of it.

"_What?_"

"They absorb attacks from the front, hit them from behind!" Madoka used a nearby broken pillar to spring off of, dashing across the field, to hit the side of a hut. She bounced off of that surface and came streaking back towards the Large Body, spinning like a drill and destroying the creature.

"_Brilliant!_" The woman said. She rolled to the side as another Large Body charged and then impaled it from behind as it passed. The two of them then charged towards a third as it skidded along the ground towards them. The woman stood her ground and blocked the dash with her shield, sending it sprawling backwards, while Madoka shot a fireball from the air, destroying it.

As she landed, the woman raised her sword in salute.

"It's nice to see another warrior lady. Rare these days. My name is Sif."

"Um… I'm Madoka Kaname. But I'm not a-"

Madoka was cut off by an explosion near her, spraying a large amount of dirt into the air. When the air cleared she saw more Marauders approaching, with more of those cannons, firing wildly. Buildings exploded, soldiers were sent flying, and Madoka was blasted off her feet to land on the ground, groaning in pain. She sat up, only to see one of the Marauders approaching, cannon at the ready.

She threw up her arms in a desperate attempt to defend herself, only to find that the shot never came. When she opened her eyes, she saw that a where the Marauder had been standing was now a pillar of light flashing in all the colors of the rainbow.

All of a sudden, a hammer came flying out of it, streaking through the battlefield to strike a Marauder head on, before suddenly freezing in the air, and flying backwards. The pillar of light dissipated, and the hammer flew into the hand of a tall, blonde man clad in armor with a flowing red cape.

Almost immediately, a squad of Marauders charged towards him. Madoka was about to shout a warning, but the man seemed unperturbed. Instead, he charged forwards with a yell, lifting his hammer into the air. A bolt of lightning streaked down from the sky as he slammed the hammer into the ground. A pulse of electricity went off, taking down both Marauder and Heartless alike.

The man then turned to Sif and Madoka.

"I've got this completely under control!" Sif said, sounding annoyed.

"Really?" The man smirked. "Is that why everything's on fire?"

He was promptly tackled by two more Marauders, though even then he didn't seem at all bothered. Madoka took the opportunity to leap to her feet and transform Crystal Clarity into its bow form, keeping her distance as she opened fire on the enemy.

She noted that the newcomer's mere presence seemed to embolden his allies, who were now fighting more with more confidence and fierceness. For his part, the man was like a force of nature. Despite how small the hammer seemed, it was clearly a dangerous weapon. He could shoot bolts of lighting from it, or even use it to fly, spinning it like a helicopter or throwing it and holding on. Nobody could stand up to him, Marauder or Heartless.

Eventually, a massive roar sounded over the battlefield. All the combatants stopped fighting, even the Heartless turning to the direction it had come from. There was the sound of pounding footsteps. So heavy that the ground shook. Eventually, their source stepped out of the smoke. A towering creature seemingly made entirely of stone strode forth. The Marauders began cheering and chanting as one of the golden armored warriors attempted to strike at him, only to be casually swatted aside.

Madoka was about to step forward, only for Sif to hold up a hand. She then turned to the newcomer.

"All yours."

The blonde man shrugged and casually walked towards what clearly had to be the boss of the Marauders. The Marauders stared in anticipation but did not make a move. The blonde man walked until he was right in front of the creature, who was easily three heads taller than him. The stone creature slammed its spiked mace into the ground, causing the entire battlefield to tremor.

The blonde man simply smiled. "Hello."

The stone creature leaned forwards and roared in his face. To Madoka, the sound was deafening, but it seemed to not affect the blonde-haired man at all.

The man instead nodded and responded with: "I accept your surrender."

The other Marauders burst out laughing. The blonde man smiled as well, before gripping his hammer by the strap and then spinning it around until it was a blur. He then swung it at the stone creature, and before anyone knew what was happening, the stone man had been reduced to a pile of rocks. The Marauders went silent, eyes wide in shock. The blonde man looked around.

"Anyone else?" He calmly asked the crowd of Marauders.

There was a moment of silence, and then one by one, they dropped their weapons and knelt in surrender. The Heartless vanished into dark corridors.

"I think next time we should _start_ with the big one!" Fandral said dryly.

Meanwhile, Madoka could only stare in awe.

* * *

The cleanup after the battle was surprisingly orderly. None of the Marauders resisted as the golden armored warriors chained them up and escorted them away. The villagers quickly began work on repairing their home, putting out fires, clearing away rubble, reconstructing buildings, and, more morbidly, burying corpses.

Madoka had initially been using _Cure_ to heal the wounded, but once they were taken care of, she found she couldn't continue with anything else. Despite how much she wanted to help with this, she found herself overcome with fatigue, and had to sit down on a collapsed pillar and rest, dismissing her costume and Keyblade.

As she watched the people around her work she felt a vibration in her pocket, and drew out her phone.

Unsurprised, she saw Ramuh appear on the screen. There was a brief crackle, and now a hologram of Ramuh appeared above the screen.

"That's new!" Madoka said.

"_Just figured it out. Much more convenient to talk like this. How are you doing? What happened?_"

"Well… all the people that were being attacked are now safe." Madoka said, launching into an explanation. It felt good, very good, just seeing that those people were safe, and could go back to their lives. What happened in Mitakihara hadn't happened here, thanks to both her efforts and these amazing heroes she had fought alongside. Their bravery, and confidence in the face of danger was stunning. Especially that guy with the hammer, not even flinching when the stone monster challenged him. Fandral was also amazing. Being witty and charming, even in the face of sheer danger. But Sif was also so cool as well. So calm, and collected. Easily adapting to what had to be strange new enemies for her.

These people were heroes. Facing danger to protect others. It was incredible.

"_A job well done._" Ramuh said as Madoka finished her explanation. "_Any information on where we are?_"

"One of the guys I met called this place Vanaheim."

Ramuh stroked his beard, thinking. "_Vanaheim... Vanaheim! I _knew_ this place felt familiar! The Nine Realms!_"

"The Nine Realms?"

"_The kingdom of Odin, Esper of Wisdom and Glory!_"

"Wait… Odin?!" The names were starting to make sense. "Like, from Norse Mythology? That Odin?"

"_Is that how your World knows him?_" Ramuh asked.

"I guess..." Madoka in truth knew fairly little about her own nations myths, let alone those of other cultures. She only knew the big names, like Odin, Loki, and… "_Thor!_"

She turned back to the blonde man in the cape. Yeah, with the hammer and the lightning bolts, there was no mistaking that that was Thor. He was currently talking with Hogun. The two of them smiled and clasped hands.

"_Hmm…_" Ramuh said. "_Well, might as well get this over with._"

"What do you mean?" Madoka asked. Ramuh said nothing however, simply looking at Thor. She shrugged, and walked over to the thunder god, who turned, and smiled.

"Ramuh, you're still around and kicking?" Thor said.

"_Are you surprised?_"

"Considering your senior status I would have thought you'd have up and retired by now."

"_Senior status?! I'll have you know that I'm a master of storms you upstart. Might as well call you Thor, god of gentle breezes._"

"Perhaps, or perhaps you would have changed your mind had you only seen the battle I just fought," Thor boasted. The younger thunder god grinning, he gestured around him. "At a mere demonstration, the Marauders laid down their arms and submitted to justice."

"_Ah, am I supposed to be impressed by the bellows of a mere boy of 1500 years? Well done, you've scared a few brigands the way the thunder and lightning scares a child. I on the other hand, have brought low dark empires, I have felled entire armies of wickedness. I remained steadfast as fiery Ifrit waged the Astral War and fearlessly stood fast against the Star_-"

Sif cleared her throat loudly and when Madoka turned to her, she was rolling her eyes.

Both Ramuh and Thor looked sheepish. "_Ah, forgive my manners. It is good to see you again, Lady Sif._"

"And you too, Lord Ramuh. Am I to take it that Madoka here is your summoner?"

"_Something like that._" Ramuh said. "_Our arrival in the Nine Realms wasn't exactly by choice, however, though now that we're here, it's important that we speak with Odin._"

"How good then, we were about to retire back to Asgard ourselves." Sif said.

Thor looked up into the air and spoke. "Heimdall, when you're ready."

Before Madoka could question what they were talking about, her vision was suddenly filled with multicolored light.

* * *

____Y'know no matter how many times I watch that scene, I can't for the life of me figure out what the Marauders are chanting.____

____As always, thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding!____

_~Dragonexx_


	31. The Realm Eternal

**Chapter 31**

**The Realm Eternal**

* * *

_Oh my god what's happening?!_ Madoka was both terrified and fascinated. She was flying rapidly in a pillar of light through what appeared to be space. Stars, nebulae and planets all rushed past her, barely giving her time to notice them before they were swept aside by the next sight. She looked up to see a blinding light growing ever closer, until it enveloped her. Madoka closed her eyes, and then suddenly felt solid ground beneath her. She stumbled, before regaining her balance.

When she opened her eyes, standing before her was a tall black man wearing a suit of golden armor. He was standing on a pedestal, gripping a sword that as plunged into it.

"Welcome to Asgard." He said.

"Good to be back, Heimdall." Thor answered.

"Might I ask who your guests are?"

"_I am Ramuh, Esper of Storms and Knowledge._"

"I'm Madoka Kaname." She said, bowing.

"Interesting."

"_I apologize for the suddenness of this request, but it is imperative that we speak with the Allfather._"

"I have already sent word to the palace of this. He will be expecting you. A transport should be waiting at the other end of the Bifrost."

"_Good. Thank you. Madoka, let's get moving._"

"Right!" Madoka stepped out of the portal chamber, and then gasped, dropping the phone to a startled "_Ow!_" From Ramuh.

Asgard was _beautiful_! It was a city that seemed to combine medieval style architecture with futuristic technology. Towering golden, castle-like buildings were traveled between by flying vehicles. Massive statues dotted the area, depicting ancient warriors. She looked down to see that she was standing on a _rainbow bridge_. It glowed radiantly as it shifted between the colors. Beneath the bridge was a sea of crystal clear water, all leading to a massive waterfall that seemed to run off into space. The entirety of Asgard was on a massive floating island!

It was then that she remembered that she had dropped her phone.

"S-sorry! So sorry!" She said as she hastily picked it up and dusted it off. It was thankfully undamaged, and Ramuh's hologram quickly reappeared.

"_It is no problem. Asgard is a beautiful city. Perhaps even more beautiful than it was when I was last here a few centuries ago._"

Oh right. Ramuh was really old. Well, he looked really old (and Madoka felt guilty about thinking that), but that wasn't it. Thor looked like someone in his late twenties, and yet according to Ramuh, he was about 1500 years old. The others had to be of similar ages, making her curious. It was so interesting, though it also seemed rude to ask.

"_You look like you want to say something, don't you? What is it?"_

"Um..." Madoka stuttered. "It's n-nothing."

"_It's certainly not nothing. Come now, speak your mind. It might be uncomfortable, but it's better to let air to these thoughts rather than become mired in regrets. Knowledge requires one to seek it out_."

Madoka took a deep breath. "How old _are_ you?"

Ramuh paused for a moment.

"S-sorry!" She said.

"_Don't be. I see age as a mark of pride. And to answer your question, I'm not entirely sure myself. As I said before, we Espers are concepts given Heart and Body. I am Ramuh, Esper of Storms and Knowledge. In truth, I know not the exact moment of my birth. Very few of our kind do. But I have lived uncounted eons since, so many that even I have lost count. I remember the First World, the Keyblade War and the Worlds that came after. And before you ask, yes, I was born this old._" The Esper then chuckled.

Madoka tried to wrap her head around that. Thor was 1500 years old. Ramuh was so many many _many_ times older than that. To live that long… to be aware of that much time. "How does that even work? I keep trying to comprehend that and… I come up… well… short."

More questions burned through her mind. "You've met a lot of people… but inevitably outlived many of them. You've had friends right? Mortal friends?"

"_I have known many over the course of my existence._"

"But… won't you outlive them? How do you cope with that? So many friends lost in what must be the blink of an eye to you."

"_We Espers are not alone among each other, and I do have friends among my own kind. But I also value my interactions with mortals no matter how brief they may be. Mortality brings with it a perspective that we immortals are often lacking in. Things like urgency, minor scale understandings, appreciations for the small details and so forth. They are an immense source of knowledge, even if from my perspective, such unions can only be brief. Though I may only know them for a short time, I would rather keep moving forwards. I may mourn their losses, but I see it better to have embraced those bonds, however brief, rather than deny them. Better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all, as they say._"

"I suppose it helps that even then, you have people like you who you can relate to. People who have been around as long as you have. People who can understand what you experience.." Madoka frowned, deep in thought. Strange feelings were coursing through her. She felt… loneliness? Longing? Regret? But why?

"_Well, not all of us are the same age._" Ramuh continued, not having noticed Madoka's change in mood. "_We are born from concepts, and not all concepts arise at once. The World is ever changing and growing. New concepts may be born from that evolution, and from those new concepts, new Espers can form to embody them. There's always more knowledge out there to seek._" Ramuh said, smiling. "_New Espers can even arise from mortals. There have been a few mortal beings that have ascended to divinity in the past, like Gilgamesh, or Alexander or Golem..._"

"Mortals attaining divinity? How would you do that?" Madoka asked suddenly. An odd sensation of _Déjà Vu_ washed over her. As if she already knew the answer before she asked the question.

Ramuh's smile faded as his eyes widened. He then looked forwards. _"Oh, would you look at that? Our ride is here!_"

And like that, the sensation was gone, so completely that Madoka wondered if she had just imagined it. She followed his gaze, to see that they had arrived at the other side of the bridge. Waiting there was what appeared to be a viking longboat. Save that it was made of metal and currently floating a few inches off the ground.

"Wow!" She rushed forwards. The side opened and a ramp emerged, ushering her, Thor and Sif into the ship, where pilot urged them to take a seat. In short order, the longboat took off into the skies, flying through the city.

Madoka couldn't help but gawk at everything she passed. The city looked beautiful from a distance, but also even more stunning up close. Each of the buildings was intricately designed in a way that captured the attention, drawing the eye from one wondrous design to the next, staring in sheer awe at the towering structures made of glass and gold, the beautiful gardens and astonishing works of art. Statues, sculptures, fountains, and so many more.

Then she looked forwards.

The palace towered over all the other buildings in the area, a massive, elegant, complex comprised of countless golden towers all combined together into an immense and stunning castle, a beautiful design that left her speechless.

* * *

This almost didn't feel real. Here she was, in a divine city, keeling before a god-king in a castle. It was too much, and Madoka kept worrying that she would make some mistake, or say something wrong. As she was kneeling, she was worried she'd lose her balance, and slip and make a fool of herself. She tried to breath to calm herself down, though it wasn't working that well, and now she probably sounded like she was hyperventilating.

She attempted to distract herself by looking around the throne room. Her attention was drawn to a sort of mural on the ceiling. A beautifully painted depiction various Norse gods, with halos around them. It was fascinating to look at, and slightly hypnotic, as due to some sort of magic, the images moved slightly.

Eventually, Madoka managed to tear her gaze away from the mural, and found herself looking at Odin himself. The god was an elderly man with a white beard in armor and a red cape, similar to his son's, with a metal patch over one eye. He sat on a golden throne flanked by two statues of wolves, and a spear leaned next to him.

It appeared that Thor and Sif's report was nearing its conclusion.

"…and so, the Marauders have withdrawn from all major villages, and retreated to their ships, currently leaving Vanaheim. With the defeat of their leader, those strange creatures they were fielding seem to have abandoned them. It's highly doubtful that the Marauders will strike again anytime in the near future."

"Well done, my son. A victory well earned." Odin said. "You are dismissed for now, I wish to speak with this newcomer."

Thor and Sif nodded, and departed.

Then, Odin turned his one-eyed gaze to Madoka as she rose. Though standing she suddenly felt small, very small. Here she was, an unremarkable girl of 16 standing before a god in their own throne room. What did she say, what did she do? She was keenly aware that she was most likely not looking her best, coming off of crashing a ship and then getting engaged in a battle. She was likely all sweaty and her hair was a mess and her clothes were probably dirty and… she was suddenly aware that Odin was talking to her. And she hadn't noticed!

"...name? Speak up, child."

"Uh… uh… m-my name is Saya… wait no... that is… Maname… n-n-n-no, sorry, it's M-Madoka Kaname. Um… your majesty!" Madoka instantly bowed so that the upper part of her body was parallel to the floor.

"Well met, Lady Kaname. I heard you were crucial in the battle in Vanaheim."

"Oh it's nothing, I'm not really that good." Madoka said. Strangely, those words came easier. She wasn't sure what to feel about that.

"Nonsense. Thor and Sif both spoke very highly of you."

"Really?" Madoka asked. She hadn't been paying that much attention to their conversation, being too lost in her own thoughts.

"Rise, Lady Kaname."

Madoka obeyed, now standing stock straight like a soldier.

Odin chuckled. "It is fine to be at ease, girl."

Madoka breathed a sigh of relief as she relaxed.

"I must say, it's been a long time since a Key Bearer has stood before me in this World. And to come accompanied by an Esper as well."

Madoka felt her phone vibrating, and then the hologram of Ramuh appeared, floating over Madoka's shoulder.

"_Indeed, it has been a while, Lord Odin._" Ramuh said.

"Come out. I would speak to you in person." Odin said.

"Wait..." Madoka asked, getting at what odin was saying. "You want me to summon him?"

"Indeed."

Madoka took out her gummiphone. This would be the first time she summoned an Esper knowing what she was doing. What if she messed it up?

"Don't worry, you'll do fine." Ramuh said quietly.

Madoka nodded and activated the app. Immediately, the phone began to crackle with electricity. That lightning emerged from the device and shaped itself into a crackling magic circle. As she did so, words came to her lips.

_"I call you, Esper of Storms and Knowledge, by the circle, and by my will! Ramuh, the Elder Justiciar, come forth at my command!_"

The lightning converged in the center of the circle, transforming into a bright yellow light, that took on a humanoid form.

When the light faded, Ramuh now stood in the room, crackling with electricity. He looked different to how he previously appeared. Now, he had dark skin, was balding and had a long mustache. He wore orange robes.

"Ahh… it's good to stretch." The Esper said. "And it's good to see you again, Lord Odin. It's been far too long."

"I must say, your arrival was most unexpected. And with a Key Bearer in tow as well."

"I do apologize for the sudden intrusion in your domain. It was not by our own choice that we are here. We had our own destination we were traveling towards, the city of Radiant Garden, only to be waylaid. We wound up here, scattered, separated from our companions."

"What caused this?"

"Heartless."

"They have even intruded into this World, much to my chagrin." Odin said.

"We've noticed." Ramuh said. "Though even I must question the attack. I did not believe our enemies knew where we were, and the routes we were to take were believed to be clear of obstructions, and yet, a powerful Heartless like that just shows up… it concerns me."

"How?" Madoka asked.

Both Odin and Ramuh turned towards her, making her flinch slightly. However they turned back towards each other, exchanging glances.

Finally, Odin spoke. "Child, please, who are your companions?

"Sayaka Miki. She has blue hair and eyes. Kyoko Sakura, she's a redhead with red eyes. Mami Tomoe, she's older than the rest of us and is blonde, and Nagisa Momoe, she's eleven and has white hair."

"Hmm… I will send their descriptions to Heimdall, and have him begin searching for them. It may take some time as they are not a part of this World."

"Thank you."

"Lady Kaname. You are victorious in battle. Such a victory should be honored with revels. Such a feast is currently being held to celebrate the end of the conflict. Why not join them in the feast hall?" Odin said.

"Um… what about you, Ramuh?"

"I would stay and converse with Lord Odin here. There is much we must discuss. Nothing you need concern yourself over."

"Oh… okay." Madoka said.

Despite the fact that Madoka had detected no means of calling them, two palace guards entered the room, directing Madoka to her destination.

* * *

The first thing Mami noticed upon rising to consciousness was how dry her mouth was. She was thirsty. She attempted to open her eyes, only to immediately close them as a bright light shone in, painful to look at. She tried to move, but she barely could. She felt so weak. Then, she heard the sounds of conversation.

"So how many are left?"

"A big chunk got captured. Probably off to Asgard's dungeons now."

"Huh, shame."

"Well, they were idiots, sticking around like that after it was clear that the Bifrost was fixed. Served that dumbass Kronan right getting chunked by Thor. I was always a better fit anyways."

"So what now?"

"We pull the fuck out. Get out of dodge before those golden assholes start chasing us. We've got a decent enough haul. Plenty to stash, plenty to trade, goods and prisoners."

"Where though?"

"Hmm… I know a guy at Knowhere."

"Wait, where?"

"Ha ha. I'll put in the coordinates, smartass."

"No seriously… where?"

The rest of their conversation was difficult to hear. Mami's head was swimming, and soon lost consciousness.

* * *

Madoka had always felt out of place, never really belonging anywhere she went. Now, however, that feeling was perhaps at its worst ever. Here she was, a 16 year old girl sitting at a feast table with Norse gods. She was still wearing her street clothes, a simple jacket, tube top, miniskirt and thigh-high stockings, while the Aesir were variously clothed in fancy tunics, robes, and even armor.

A lute and drums were being played somewhere in the distance, filling the hall with music, while various other Aesir danced. The food being served was delicious, a thick stew made from boar and fish. She had been given a mug of mead as well, though she hadn't touched that.

At the moment, Volstagg was regaling the revelers with tales of the battle, who were captivated even when full of alcohol and food. Even Madoka had to admit that he had a talent for storytelling.

"...cracking under the strain I threw the beast off, but… six more beat me to the ground, crushing my blade as if… as if it were _paper_!"

Madoka then heard giggling sounds nearby, and turned to see a gaggle of children running into the room. Volstagg immediately perked up, and gestured for them to come closer.

"You're missing the best part!" He said, as a young girl sat upon his lap.

"Now… where was I?"

"You were surrounded." Thor reminded.

"Again!" Fandral said, amused.

"Oh yes, yes, by the most vile criminals the Nine Realms have ever produced. To our left, dark, savage, beasts, with fangs like _knives_." He said, poking towards his daughter for emphasis, causing her to giggle. "To our right, soldiers of fortune, their blades dripping with blood! And who was there to face the horde? Why, Fandral the Dashing!"

"I was." Fandral said nonchalantly.

"Hogun the Grim, and Volstagg the… uh." He struggled for a title.

"Voluminous?" A woman suggested.

"Fat?" Fandral jibed.

Madoka flinched at these barbs, but Volstagg only seemed amused at the jokes. "...the _Invincible_!"

"I don't mind telling you, I feared for Thor's life as these villains closed in on me. But just when all hope seemed lost, out of the blue, _Madoka emerges_!" Madoka immediately froze as Volstagg gestured to her. She tried to say something, but no words would come to her, and now she was certain she was blushing as all eyes turned to her.

"You all should have seen her as she cut a swath through the dark creatures, as brave and fierce as the Valkyries of old! And together, with steely courage, intrepid spirit, and an _axe_, victory was ours! Cheers for _Madoka the Fierce_!"

Shouts of encouragement and applause went up all around the room, overwhelming Madoka, and causing her to try and sink into her seat. Fortunately, it didn't last long, as many of them began to take large swigs of mead.

An elderly man in sunglasses sitting near her gestured for her to drink her mead, which she hadn't touched.

"Oh, um… I'm not old enough to drink." Madoka said. The man then snorted as he leaned back in his chair, sipping from his mug.

"Old enough to fight, old enough to drink, if ya ask me, pinky." He said. He then leaned his chair back too far, toppling over, and letting out an anguished. "_Excelsior…_"

Madoka was worried for a second only to see several others move over to assist him. Relieved, she turned back the mead. She picked up the mug, and then steeled herself, before taking a big swig.

Though she was underage as well, Kyoko had drank beer before (though how she got a hold of it without any proper ID was a mystery), describing it as bitter and gassy. Sayaka had then asked why bother if it wasn't even that good, to which Kyoko had said, "Why not?"

Prepared for distaste, Madoka was pleasantly surprised. The mead was sweet like honey, with a slight hint of spice, mixed with fruit. Not bad at all.

Still conscious that she was young, she ended it there, looking back at the other revelers. Volstagg was currently chugging his drink.

"Truly, a tale for the ages." Thor chuckled.

"No doubt he'll be telling it for that long as well." Fandral said dryly.

"_Another!_" Volstagg tossed his mug behind him.

More followed suit, the sound of crashing metal and breaking glass filling the room as the Aesir cheered and celebrated. Madoka hesitated, only to see Thor gently lower his mug to the table. Madoka followed suit. Thankfully, the spotlight wasn't on her anymore, and she reclined in her seat, simply relaxing.

* * *

Freed from all intruding presences, the two had left the throne room, and now stood upon a balcony, looking over the divine realm of Asgard. There they spoke, not as king and visitor, but Esper and Esper.

"Your arrival in my realm was no coincidence, I fear." Odin said.

"That, I may have to agree with you on." Ramuh said. "Though I cannot fathom the reason."

"An attempt against myself, perhaps? A significant portion of my essence _is_ invested in this realm. A blow against it would have significant repercussions for my greater being within the Feymarch. If only my awareness of other Worlds was not so limited in this state."

"It is a consequence that cannot be helped." Ramuh sad.

"True. Though sending a Key Bearer into my midst. It is a dangerous gambit."

"Surely you do not suspect young Madoka of duplicity?"

"A Keyblade is a powerful device, capable of bringing about both great prosperity and great ruin. A Key Bearer could end this World single-handedly if they felt so inclined. One can never be too cautious with her kind."

"I can vouch for Madoka's integrity and virtue. The girl lacks confidence and conviction, but she has a good Heart. A pure Heart, filled with light."

"The light may be better than the darkness, but it has its own dangers." Odin said. "Though you seem to be strangely invested in this girl. A Princess and Key Bearer she may be, but that in itself is not entirely unheard of. Why, I have heard tell of another existing at this very moment."

"Yes, in fact we were en route to meet with her ourselves. But let's not beat around the bush, and instead address the elephant in the room."

Odin sighed. "The spark of divinity. I can feel it within her. It's faint, and for some reason feels… _incomplete_, but it's there. What is this girl?"

Ramuh closed his eyes. "Merely a part of a whole."

Odin raised an eyebrow.

"Lord Odin, what I am about to tell you is sensitive information. The Madoka that stood before you, is but a fragment of a greater being, a powerful goddess known as the Law of Cycles."

"A goddess fragmented?" Odin said.

"Indeed. She was split apart by another, a being by the name of Homura Akemi. Some time later, the Heartless came to their world, placing it in peril. The fragment Madoka was chosen by a Keyblade at the time. After several encounters with the Heartless, she came into contact with Homura Akemi again. Just as they were about to clash, I intervened."

"You were observing."

"To some degree. Her divine self called me to her World, seeking knowledge of what was transpiring, unable to intervene as she was."

"That Homura Akemi seems like a right villain."

"It's not so simple as that. The goddess worries for her well being as well." Ramuh sighed. "Now that I think about it, she is almost certain to be upset at me for striking poor Homura in the face with Judgement Bolt."

"Why would she do that, after what this Homura Akemi did to her?"

"Their relationship is… _complicated_, to put it lightly."

"Ah… divine lover's squabbles." Odin said with a knowing and exasperated sigh. "Much chaos has been wrought from deficits of communication. A tragedy I've seen far too often."

"Indeed, and I hope that such a thing does not ultimately come to pass. But at the moment, we must face the dilemma in front of us."

Odin paused in thought. "The girl. Does she know of her true nature?"

"No. She believes herself to be mortal. In fact, her divine self specifically requested that I not tell her. I agree that it is likely for the best. She may be a potent force for good, but for the time being, she must remain as she is."

"Perhaps, but her presence here does present a severe threat to the security of the realms. If I can sense her divinity, then other Espers clearly can as well. No doubt they will be seeking to take advantage of that pair. Perhaps they already are, if your arrival here was indeed deliberate. Though the identity of the culprit is a mystery all its own. We have many enemies, sadly." Odin then coughed loudly.

"Odin?"

"Unlike you, I am fully manifested into this World, and thus subject to its laws. Here, I was born, I lived, and soon I shall die. I am not strongly gifted with future sight, but I can tell that my end is coming, though I know not the specifics. Whether by age or violence, I am not long for this World. Someday, I must leave this to my heir."

"You mean Thor."

Odin nodded. "I am aware of my failures as a father now. Failures that led my daughter astray. Failures that drove both of my sons against each other."

"I would have more faith in Thor. He's a lot better than the last time I saw him. A bit arrogant and headstrong, but that's nothing compared to how he was when I last saw him centuries ago. He has developed a good, strong, Heart."

Odin sighed. "And that I fear has little to do with my own parenting. He has learned more from his brief sojourns to Midgard than he has from centuries of life in Asgard. Though you are right, my friend, in that I do feel confident in leaving the throne to him."

There was a brief moment of reflective silence, before Ramuh spoke again. "So, about Madoka and her companions."

"I have already pledged Asgard's aid in finding them, and I intend to honor that promise. However, once they are reunited, I must request that you leave my kingdom immediately. Both for my well being, and yours."

"That would be rather hard considering the likely state of the vessel we were traveling in."

"It should be no problem. With the aid of a Keyblade, the Bifrost should be able to send you to Radiant Garden."

"Then we have a plan." Ramuh said.

* * *

It was too much.

Madoka was wide awake, contemplating her circumstances. She was lying in a luxury bed, in the castle of a god. The pillows were full of feathers, and the sheets were incredibly soft. The frame seemed to be made of gold. The entire room around her was wonderfully decorated with beautifully detailed carvings on the walls. Countless dangerous looking yet expertly crafted weapons hung from the wall while intricately painted and molded vases dotted the room, many inlaid with gold leaf. Opposite the bed was a vanity beautifully wrought, with the spotless mirror lined with silver and handles of the drawers dotted with gemstones. She was wearing what appeared to be extremely expensive sleepwear that was probably something even more luxurious than silk. And she had just come off from a feast with Norse gods.

Here she was, in the lap of luxury, while her friends were off who knew where. They were possibly struggling for their very lives. And all the while Madoka was partying.

God she was such a horrible person.

Keyblade wielders were supposed to be great figures. Leaders, heroes, champions. Meanwhile, Madoka's quest had already gone so wrong. Ship crashed, friends scattered to the winds, ending up in a World where she stuck out like a sore thumb. Barely out the gate and she had already fallen flat on her face. As usual.

Madoka the Fierce? More like Madoka the Fool.

She held out her hand, and Crystal Clarity formed. She looked at the weapon. Keyblades were supposed to be sapient to a degree, choosing who could and couldn't wield them. Could they make mistakes? Perhaps it had chosen wrong. She certainly didn't feel like someone who should be wielding a Keyblade.

Madoka sighed and sat up. Maybe Kyoko really was right. She was some stupid, sheltered, privileged kid who had never really suffered in her life. Why was she worthy the Keyblade? She had no real idea what she was even doing! She had screwed up nearly everything.

If she had told her parents the truth, then maybe Mama wouldn't have been taken. If she hadn't snuck out to go see Homura, she could have saved Papa and Tatsuya. They were gone and it was entirely her fault. And now, their whole mission had been derailed.

Kyoko had said that Madoka hadn't asked for any of this, but she recalled the dream that led to all of this. The questions she had been asked.

_"What do you want most out of life?"_

_"I want… I want to do something meaningful with my life. Something that makes a difference, something big and important."_

Was this really all her fault? She got to live out her fantasies, never mind all the people that had to suffer for those escapist scenarios to even exist. Maybe she really was just some stupid kid, wanting attention, dreaming of things she never deserved.

Madoka stood up, walking across the exquisitely tiled floor, opening the door to step out into a balcony overlooking Asgard. At night, the city was perhaps even more beautiful. Buildings were lit up in a variety of colored lights, making the place shine like the Bifrost, which itself glowed wonderfully in the distance.

Madoka looked up, at the vast reaches of space. It wasn't the True Sky, but it was still immensely beautiful, a view of stars and planets and nebulae in a dazzling array of colors.

But a screwup like her didn't deserve this beauty. She looked down, feeling a pain in her chest, only to notice something lighting up below. It drew her attention, and looking closer, she saw Sif in one of the palace courtyards, practicing sword techniques. Each time she swung her blade lit up, crackling with energy.

Madoka was transfixed as she watched Sif train. She was so skilled, in a way far beyond Madoka could ever imagine herself being, fighting with a speed and grace that was as hypnotic as it was intimidating.

The Asgardians as a whole were amazing. They reminded her of the characters from comic books and manga that she used to love to read. Larger than life heroes who fought for honor and justice. Who always did the right thing, regardless of the dangers. A sort of awesomeness that she could never in her life hope to live up to.

So fascinated was she that she almost didn't notice when Sif had stopped. She was now looking up at her, and gestured for her to come down.

Madoka looked around. Surely it wasn't her she was beckoning? There must be someone else nearby. She looked around, but there was nobody else in sight. Madoka hesitated before finally relenting. She leaped off the balcony, landing in the courtyard. She attempted to land gracefully, but instead stumbled and collapsed, falling on her butt. Of course.

She looked up to see Sif offering her a hand. Madoka graciously took it.

"Can't sleep?" She asked.

"Um… yes."

"I know the feeling. Too much to think about?"

"Yeah." Madoka admitted.

"Then would you care to join me in training?" Sif asked. "It might help."

"Um… okay. I'm not sure I have much to contribute though." Madoka said, transforming into her costume.

"Nonsense." Sif said. "Regardless, we should keep it simple here, this late. Basic katas. Always good to practice those."

Sif demonstrated a pattern, attack, block, attack, block. She would swing her sword, Madoka would block it with her Keyblade. She'd swing from a different direction and Madoka would block from there. It was simple and slow, allowing Madoka to keep up. Soon, it was a steady rhythm, allowing the two of them to focus on other things.

"I must say, it's nice to have another warrior woman here, even if your stay will be brief." Sif said.

"Um… I'm not really a warrior." Madoka said. "I'm not really that good at anything."

"Really? You must certainly be good at fooling me at least. I saw you in Vanaheim. You were a force to be reckoned with out there."

"I… I shouldn't have even been there in the first place." Madoka answered. "I was only there because things went wrong."

"I've faced losses and setbacks plenty in my life. I've had missions go awry, sometimes due to circumstances outside my control, sometimes due to my own mistakes. It's just how things are sometimes. Even if you give it your all, sometimes, you just won't end up getting what you were hoping for. The world just isn't fair like that. More than likely, it will never be."

Madoka sighed. "I suppose that's true. I don't really have much to offer even trying my best."

"Don't discredit yourself. Even if you acknowledge that you can't make things perfect, it doesn't mean you shouldn't strive for that. That's where heroics come from."

"But… am I really worthy of being a hero? Kyoko says-"

"Who's Kyoko?"

"She's one of my friends. She says I'm not worthy of the Keyblade. I come from a rich family. I've had an easy life. Meanwhile, her family suffered and suffered until they died, despite the fact that they hadn't done anything wrong. They'd tried to help people!"

Sif sighed, stepping back from the exchange. "Suffering is not an objective measure of worth. Someone can suffer and come out stronger for it. However, far more often, I've seen suffering break a person. Harden their Heart and make them close themselves off from the world, rejecting any attempts at help. Don't think that because you haven't suffered through something that you cannot help someone else suffering that way, even if it's just letting them know you care. You have much to offer the world and you do it and more specifically yourself a disservice by believing that you can't."

"Do I? I'm clumsy and stupid. I'm not good at anything. Kyoko's been through a lot more than I-"

"Hmph. Don't discredit yourself so easily. I lived my entire life being told that what I wanted was foolhardy. That I couldn't be a warrior because of my gender. That a woman could not fight as fiercely as a man. In the end I made fools out of them all. From that triumph, other women were inspired and the Valkyrie force was created."

Madoka considered her words. Sif reminded her of Mama, and her constant complaints about how her misogynistic bosses would pass her over for promotions and deals in favor of less deserving people simply because they were men. Even in the face of obvious discrimination, she refused to let them keep her down.

"Compromise where you can. Where you can't, don't. Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right. Even if the whole world is telling you to move, it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye, and say, '_No, you move_'."

"That sounds like a quote."

"It was. A brave woman I met on Midgard a few decades ago said that to me. A hero, leading other heroes."

"She sounds amazing." Madoka said.

"She is." Sif replied. "Thus, sometimes, you have to simply trust your own judgement. No matter how skilled you are, if you don't accept that you are really that good, you'll never live up to all the potential you have. They called you Madoka the Fierce. Embrace that title. It's not arrogance, it's _confidence_. You're stronger than you think you are."

"Um… thanks." Madoka said. She then yawned.

"It looks like this exercise has helped." Sif grinned. "We'll probably be setting out to go find your friends tomorrow. You'll need to be rested for that."

"Yeah, I guess so. Thanks."

"Any time." Sif said.

Madoka leapt back up to the balcony and headed back into her room. After dismissing her costume, she collapsed into the bed and was quickly asleep.

* * *

From caverns to cold, Nagisa had no idea how she had even wound up here. One second, she was looking at some sort of red fluid, and now, she was wandering through a frozen wasteland.

She wore her costume. Despite the fact that her midriff was exposed, she felt oddly warmer wearing it over her normal clothes, even though they covered more. In fact, she felt almost feverish.

Her vision flickered, rapidly shifting feelings coming over her. She was hungry. She wanted cheese. But she also felt sad, and giddy, and angry, and confused. Charlotte was…

Wait… Charlotte? What? Her name was Nagisa, wasn't it? Nagisa Momoe, not Charlotte. Right. Where had that come from?

Nagisa Momoe trudged forward through the snow, barely managing to keep her head above the drifts, struggling to stay upright in the driving blizzard. Then, she heard a voice.

"Do you smell something?" The voice was deep.

"Yes, come to think of it… I do. Smells like a Midgarder."

"Here?"

The snow storm abated slightly, the ground shook as she saw a pair of silhouettes approaching. At first, Nagisa thought they might be rescuers. Unfortunately, she was let down. The pair were definitely not human, instead, they were blue skinned giants, covered in ice and rime, with glowing red eyes.

One of them snorted. "Bah! It's only a whelp. A girl-child won't have much meat on her."

"Still might make a good snack." When they opened their mouths, Charlotte could see that their yellow teeth were razor sharp.

Wait… Charlotte? No, she was Nagisa. Why did that name keep popping up in her head?

"Fair enough." One of the giants held out its hand, and a large spear made of ice formed in it's grip. The other followed suit. Nagisa raised her trumpet, prepared to fight.

* * *

Fighting them hadn't gone well. Not well at all. Nothing was working. Not her trumpet, not any of her spells. Not even her Gummiphone. Every time she tried, her vision would flicker red.

Now, she was currently running for her life while two giants tried to eat her.

"Don't bother, whelp. You won't get far!" One of the giants taunted. There was the sound of shattering ice as one of them threw an icicle at her and narrowly missed. Nagisa kept running, though she didn't get much further before she was forced to stop, finding herself standing at the edge of a cliff. She desperately tried to find another direction to flee in, only for a large hand to grab her, lifting her up into the air. Nagisa kicked and punched and bit, but the giant didn't even react.

"_Let me go!_"

"So, I assume were splitting her up the middle, right?" The giant asked.

"Those terms are fair." The other said with a chuckle.

"Alright." The giant said. He grabbed Nagisa's head with his free hand, and was about to twist, only for a sudden surge of fear and adrenaline to surge through her. Then, she felt a horrid sensation come over her, like her skin was crawling, like she wanted to cry. Like every happy memory was starting to gray out. She dimly noticed that the giants grip had loosened. It's expression was hard to read, though it soon transformed into a clear one of fear.

_Good…_

Despite the fact that they once towered over her, now, they seemed smaller and smaller, as she looked down on them. They were scared. And she was _hungry_...

* * *

_Wow, this chapter kept going and going... There were several times where I though I was finished, only to realize that I still had more to say. So enjoy an extra long update._

____And thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding!____

____~Dragonexx____


	32. Decisive Battle of Roaring Flames

**Chapter 32**

**Decisive Battle of Roaring Flames**

* * *

It was beautiful music. Some may have called it dark, haunting and depressing, but she loved it regardless of what the ignorant fools might think. It was soothing, erasing, and to her, it was everything. All she wanted was to listen, alone and at peace. To mourn her losses in solitude. To muse on finality for eternity. But they wouldn't let her. Disrupting the song, with their clanging steps and ugly voices. Constantly calling out to her with some nonsense name.

"Sayaka!"

That name, that strange name. Their irritating voices, disrupting the harmony of her concert hall. They would _die_ for that.

"Sayaka!"

Why did they keep calling her that? Her name wasn't Sayaka. It was…

* * *

"Sayaka Miki, _wake the fuck up!_"

"Wha-?" Sayaka's eyes shot open. Her vision was blurry at first, but it quickly began to clear. Kyoko was now leaning over her, looking frustrated. She leaned away as Sayaka sat up, only to get a splitting headache. Thankfully, it didn't last long. None of her injuries did. Healing powers were awesome like that.

She then looked around, to find that they were in a cage, suspended from the ceiling of a cavern. Chains bound both of them.

"What the hell? What happened?"

"You tell me. You were supposed to be keeping watch."

"I was!" Sayaka said.

"Well then you really suck at it!"

Sayaka tried to remember what had happened. Kyoko was asleep. She was keeping watch on the entrance to the cavern. Things had been quite, then she smelled the scent of something burning. She had dismissed it at first (they were in a volcanic wasteland), but it had started to grow stronger.

Then she heard footsteps, and must had reacted too slowly, because that was the last thing she remembered before waking up here.

"Ugh..."

"Yeah, walk it off. So who captured us?"

Sayaka sighed. "Don't know. They must have snuck up. Didn't get to see them. Where are we?"

"Dunno. But our odds aren't looking good." Kyoko indicated towards another corner of cage they were in.

Sayaka turned, and then jumped with a minor shriek to see a skeleton lying next to them. Not at all helped when it's jawbone detached from it's skull.

"Some brave hero." Kyoko said.

"Shove it." Sayaka started struggling against her chains.

"What are you doing?" Kyoko asked.

"Trying to get in to a position to summon my sword to cut the chains."

"Careful, you might cut yourself."

"So?"

"Whoa! And you say I'm an edgelord!" Kyoko said.

"Well if it comes down to that, I can regenerate. You can't." Sayaka kept struggling. The chains were rough, and cut into her as she attempted to shift, though those wounds healed quickly.

"Alright. I think I've got it." Sayaka said, managing to shift her hands into a position she thought would work. "Stand back."

"I can't stand."

"Then scoot back!" Sayaka said.

"Alright, alright." Kyoko tried to shrug and failed, before awkwardly slinking back to the other side of the cage.

Sayaka steeled herself. This was probably going to hurt. A lot. But once she recovered, she could then cut Kyoko free and then they could escape. So she took a deep breath, and prepared to-

Before Sayaka could do anything else, the cage opened. Both girls (plus the skeleton) went tumbling out of it, spinning wildly, before coming to an abrupt stop, less than a meter above the ground. Well, save for the skeleton who smashed into the ground, broken bones scattering everywhere.

"Ow…" Kyoko said.

"Are you okay?"

"Maybe you should be more careful about where the sword goes."

"That wasn't me. I didn't summon a sword yet. The cage opened on its own."

"What? Why would it do that?"

"**Because I willed it.**" A voice said. It was deep, and the mere sound filled Sayaka head with thoughts of burning. The area was hot already, but at that voice alone, the heat skyrocketed.

"What was that?" Kyoko asked.

Then the chains turned them around, and Sayaka gasped.

Before her was a towering figure seemingly made of flame. A massive horned crown was on his head, and the figure sat on a throne, examining them.

"**Who are you? Why have you come here?**" He asked. Again that voice. It felt like her ears were on fire by just listening to it.

"Where the hell are your manners?" Kyoko said. "Who even are you?"

The figure growled. "**I am Surtr, King of Muspelheim. You have intruded into my domain without permission. Brought harm upon my subjects.**"

"You're subjects? What the hell have we done to them?" Kyoko shot back as various fiery figures approached out of the smoke and shadows. "I've never seen these weirdos before in my life!"

"Kyoko..." Sayaka reprimanded. This really wasn't the time to start antagonizing people.

"**Have you now?**" Surtr said. Then, Sayaka's attention was drawn to a cavern in the distance, and a pair of glowing eyes. Then, she heard a growling sound, and out of the darkness stepped the dragon from earlier, chained to the floor.

"Crap..."

"Are you kidding? That things your pet? Well then you should get a muzzle on it because that overgrown lizard attacked us out of nowhere you-"

"Kyoko Sakura, _shut the fuck up!_"

"What?! Are you just going to lie back and take this bullshit?"

"Kyoko! Shut up and let me talk, you're only making this worse!"

Kyoko scowled. "And you're-"

"Um… You're majesty." Sayaka interrupted. What the hell was Kyoko's issue? "We're sorry. We were never supposed to be here. Our ship crashed. It's an accident."

"**Perhaps...**" Surtr said. "**Or perhaps you are spies and assassins, sent to attack my kingdom and holdings.**"

"What? No! Were not-"

"It's irrelevant." Surtr said as the fiery creatures drew closer. "You will die here."

"If I might interject." Said a voice.

"Huh?"

All of a sudden the crowd parted. Three figures approached, escorted by more of the fire demons. One she didn't recognize, a blonde man in armor and a cape. The next was familiar. She couldn't place her finger on it for a moment, before realizing that it was Ramuh, though he looked differently to how he had appeared previously. The third, she recognized all too well, in that pink dress.

"_Madoka!_"

"Sayaka! Kyoko! You're safe!"

"I believe safe is a matter of perspective here." Kyoko said.

Surtr scowled. "**Thor, son of Odin.**"

"Surtr! Son of… a bitch! You're still alive? I thought my father killed you, like half a million years ago?"

"**I cannot die. Not until I fulfill my role in this World and lay waste to your home.**"

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard the stories. Asgard up in flames, falling into ruin. And you Surtr are at the center of it."

"**Ragnarok. When my crown shall be reunited with the Eternal Flame, I will be restored to my full might. I will tower over the mountains and bury my sword deep in Asgard!**" Surtr said.

"Wait… that's a crown? I thought it was a big eyebrow."

Even considering the situation, Sayaka couldn't help but giggle at that comment. For Surtr's part, though she couldn't see anything but fire in his eyes, she got the feeling that he was rolling them.

The fire giant's attention shifted, passing over Madoka and focusing on Ramuh.

"**Why have you brought another Esper into my midst? Why are you here, Ramuh? Is this girl your summoner?**"

"He's an Esper?" Madoka asked.

"**Surtr here is a manifestation of Ifrit, Esper of Fire and Ruin.**" Ramuh explained. "**And to answer your question, I am here at her request. To support them.**"

Ramuh clearly meant business. His voice crackled like a storm, making Sayaka's ears tingle.

"**Bah! Then why have you come, Asgardian?**" Surtr demanded, turning back to Thor.

"For them." Thor said, gesturing to Sayaka and Kyoko.

"**So you admit to sending these assassins into my midst.**"

"They're not assassins!" Madoka objected. "They wound up here by accident."

"**It matters not.**" Surtr said, standing up from his throne. Sayaka balked slightly at just how tall he was as he strode towards them, blazing sword in hand. The giant positively towered over everyone else in the room save the dragon in the distance. Perhaps a good 3 or 4 stories tall. "**You will all die here, today. All will suffer. All will burn.**"

"I beg to differ." Thor said. "I'll stop you."

"**You cannot. The day of Ragnarok may be yet far off, but it is inevitable. _I_ am inevitable.**"

"So they say. To be honest, seeing you grow really big and set fire to a planet would be quite the spectacle." Thor said. "But it looks like I'm going to have to choose option B where I break these girls free, knock that tiara off your head, and stash you away in Asgard's vault."

"**You cannot stop Ragnarok. Why fight it?**"

"Because _that's what heroes do!_" Thor said with a grin as he held out his hand behind him.

Nothing happened.

There was an awkward silence.

"Wait… I'm sorry. I timed that wrong."

"**Oh, how ironic that the old man has a better grasp on time.**" Ramuh snarked.

"Can you two stop?" Madoka asked. Sayaka knew that Madoka wasn't one to get irritated easily at all, making her wonder how much Thor and Ramuh had been sniping at each other.

"Wait for it." Thor grinned.

Now, Sayaka heard the sound of something crashing in the distance. Steadily, almost rythmically. _Boom. Boom. Boom._

Then, there was a flash as a hammer crackling with electricity burst through the wall into the room. It smashed into the chains binding Sayaka and Kyoko, perfectly shearing through them sending them falling to the ground. Sayaka immediately rose to her feet and cast a healing spell on Kyoko, finishing her work from last night. She then donned her costume and formed two cutlasses, dropping into a fighting stance. Kyoko followed suit, forming her spear, while Madoka summoned Crystal Clarity.

"**You've made a grave mistake, Odinson.**" Surtr slammed his sword into the ground. Then there it was. That watery sound, as dark corridors formed. Out of them emerged a horde of fiery Heartless. Red Nocturnes, Crimson Jazzes, Vermilian Sambas, Flame Cores, and Fiery Globes.

Then a larger corridor formed, and Sayaka saw a familiar face. The Heat Saber from earlier.

"Rematch time!" Sayaka said.

"**You will all burn. _Firaga!_**" Surtr roared as he swung his sword, a massive wave of flame shot outwards, racing across the battlefield. The others flinched, but Ramuh held out his hand. A lightning bolt struck it and transformed into his staff which he plunged into the ground. A burst of wind parted the flames harmlessly to either side of the group. When they cleared, the Heartless and fire demons were rushing forwards, unaffected by the fire. The battle was joined.

Thor hurled his hammer, streaking it through a horde of demons, while punching others who drew close to him, scattering the creatures into cinders.

Sayaka charged forwards, bringing her blades down on one demon and then turning to slice a Flame Core in half while she made her way to Madoka, who had transformed her Keyblade into its bow form, firing off Blizzard spells as arrows.

"Good to have you here!" Sayaka said.

"Good to see you again!" Madoka said. She then ducked as a demon slashed it's claw at her. Sayaka swiped over Madoka's head, destroying the demon. From her position, Madoka opened fire behind Sayaka, shooting a Flame Core with an arrow of ice.

"Together?" Sayaka said, raising her sword.

"Right!" Crystal Clarity returned to it's Keyblade form and she raised it next to Sayaka's sword.

"_Watera!_" The two of them said. A massive sphere of water formed, which the two then hurled forwards, a wave of water extinguishing demon and Heartless alike.

The two then turned to see Ramuh striding across the field of battle, staff crackling with lightning. He would point the weapon, and a bolt of lightning would arc from it, blasting away enemies, making his way towards Surtr.

"**Thundara**!" Ramuh said, in a crackling voice. A massive bolt of electricity arced out, straight towards the fire giant, who caught the attack on his blade as he plunged it into the floor, grounding it.

He then swung his blade again, shouting "**Firaga!**"

Ramuh blocked with his staff, though the sheer force of the flames made him skid back some. He then took off into the air, flying about the giant, peppering him with lightning strikes, though they didn't appear to do much damage in the grand scheme.

"**You are a fool to have come here Ramuh. You have no place in this World. You are limited by your summoner. While here, my power is free!**" He swung his massive sword, only to have it blocked by Ramuh's staff. He then channeled electricty along it, conducting down Surtr's sword and into the giants body. He cried out in pain as he staggered away, electricty crackling across him. Ramuh then blasted Surtr back against a pillar with a burst of wind.

"**I would not underestimate her Ifrit. There's much more to Madoka than you know.**"

"**Perhaps. Who am I to judge? However what I do know is that she is your anchor here.**" The giant gave a savage grin, as he picked up his sword. Then, all of a sudden, he leaped away from Ramuh. And towards Madoka.

Sayaka dashed, grabbing Madoka and pulling them both out of the way. Surtr's sword slammed into the ground, unleashing an explosion of fire. The flames dispersed as the giant turned towards them, his body blazing.

Sayaka was about to leap towards him, only to see movement in the corner of her eye. She turned just in time to block an attack from the Heat Saber. The creature pushed down on her, attempting to drive her to the ground. This time, she was ready however. She shifted her position at the same time she let go of her swords. The Heartless stumbled forwards, as Sayaka formed new swords in her hands. She then cut into the creatures leg.

The Heat Saber stumbled before cartwheeling away, and then it slashed with it's sword, unleashing a wave of fire. Sayaka leaped over the flames, slashing the creature across the head as she passed it, then creating a platform to leap off of and strike again, nailing the Heartless in the back. It stumbled forwards, slamming into a pillar.

"Yeah, I'm stronger than I was back then." She said as the Heat Saber rolled away, righting itself. It didn't react to her words of course, but just saying them made Sayaka feel more confident. She could do this.

Dimly, she was aware of Madoka and Kyoko fighting Surtr... or Ifrit... or whatever nearby, but she had to trust that they could handle themselves. Sayaka focused on her own opponent, dashing towards it while at the same time hurling one of her swords. The weapon slashed across the creatures side, as Sayaka leaped towards it, kicking it in the chest, knocking it into the pillar again. As the creature recovered and unleashed a blast of flame, Sayaka leaped to the side, running around the pillar. As the Heartless chased her, she cast _Blizzard_ on the ground creating an ice slick. The Heartless was completely unaware and slipped, falling on it's back.

Meanwhile, Sayaka had climbed up the pillar, before leaping down onto the Heat Saber, plunging her blade into its chest. She breathed a sigh of relief before the Heartless began to heat up. She leaped off, barely avoiding a fiery explosion.

"_Seriously_, what's it take to kill you?!" Sayaka shouted. She noticed that the fight with Surtr was starting to go against Madoka and Kyoko. They were being overwhelmed. Despite his size, Surtr was bizarrely fast, and the two of them were struggling to keep up with the speed and ferocity of his attacks. Kyoko had a shield up, but it was being chipped away at with every blow the fire giant landed, while Madoka was keeping her distance attempting to douse the giant in water, but he just turned up his body's heat, evaporating it and retaliating with fireballs, forcing Madoka to keep dodging.

Elsewhere, Thor and Ramuh were currently occupied with large numbers of demons and Heartless swarming them. Bolts of lighting cleaved through the crowd, but more and more just kept coming.

She had to get to her friends, but the Heat Saber was blocking the way. But she wasn't going to let it stand for long. The Heartless was strong and had beaten her once, but now her friends needed her help. That was what mattered, not the victory. Sayaka concentrated on that feeling. Protecting them.

She felt an energy flowing through her, a strange sensation. Like hope, joy, conviction, and confidence all rolled into one. She had this.

Sayaka dashed forwards, meeting the Heat Saber's blows head on. The two of them exchanged swings, slicing and blocking and dodging at breakneck speeds. When the creature attempted to unleash a wave of flame, Sayaka merely dodged, leaping around the Heartless, using her platforms to gain air and abruptly change her direction.

The Heat Saber couldn't keep up, and eventually, Sayaka leaped above it, sword held high, the blade now glowing with some blue-white light. As she closed in, the words just came to her, and she couldn't resist shouting them at the top of her lungs.

"_Holy Sword!_" Sayaka shouted as she came streaking downwards. The Heat Saber raised it's swords in an attempt to block, but Sayaka's blade cut straight through them, then down through the armor, slicing the Heartless in half.

As she hit the ground, the two halves of the heartless fell apart, collapsing to the ground and dispersing into darkness.

It was satisfying, but she had no time to revel. The others needed her. Sayaka dashed forwards, just as Madoka was knocked to the ground. Surtr brought his blade down, intending to finish her off, only for Sayaka to leap in front of her. She flourished her cape, which went rigid, just in time for the fire giants blade to bounce off. Surtr stumbled back, and then growled, only for a bolt of lighting to strike him in the face.

Ramuh and Thor both rushed towards Surtr, only for the fire giant to recover faster than expected and then swing his blade, unleashing another wave of flame at the two of them. While they blocked the attack, Kyoko dashed forwards, spear coated in ice, and stabbed it into Surtr's side. He grunted in pain before kicking her away, to land near Madoka and Sayaka.

"_Fuck!_ Why won't this asshole go down?!" Kyoko exclaimed.

Now that Sayaka looked closer, Kyoko wasn't in good condition. Her costume was damaged, and she had multiple burns across her body. She tried to stand, only to stumble and be forced to lean on her spear.

"Kyoko your hurt!" Madoka said.

"I'm fine!"

"No you're not. Get back and let Sayaka heal you!" Madoka ordered.

"_I said I'm fine!_" Kyoko dashed forwards, only for Surtr to inhale and then spit a fireball. The projectile struck the ground in front of Kyoko and exploded sending her flying away.

"Go! Heal her!" Madoka said.

Sayaka looked back between Kyoko and Madoka in hesitation.

"Go! I'll be fine!" Madoka then cast _Blizzard_, projecting a wave of cold and snow at the fire giant. Surtr stumbled back, halting the wave of flame he had been projecting at Thor and Ramuh, freeing the two of them to join the battle.

They took immediate advantage of it. Thor flew forwards, Mjolnir held out in front of him to ram straight into Surtr's chest. He grunted in pain, and was about to strike back at the recovering Thor, only for Ramuh to blast him with lightning while Madoka peppered him with arrows..

Sayaka dashed over to where Kyoko was still struggling to rise to her feet.

"_Cu-_"

"I've got this!" Kyoko snarled, smacking away Sayaka's hand and attempting to stand, only to groan and collapse to her knees. She snorted, and perhaps it was just their environment, but she was sure she saw a puff of smoke come out of her nostrils. Whatever, there were more important things to address.

"What the hell is your problem?!" Sayaka demanded.

"My problem is that big flaming fuckwit over there!" Kyoko said, attempting to stand again. She managed to get up, shakily leaning on her spear only for it to slip. This time, Sayaka caught her.

"And you're fighting like an idiot! You're supposed to be better at this than me!" Sayaka then paused. _Wait… where did that come from?_

"Well thanks for the vote of confidence." Kyoko said sarcastically, as she tried to limp forwards. Her eyes locked on Madoka, watching as she dodged away from a blast of flame and then shot Surtr in the face with an arrow of water. The fire giant staggered, opening him up for a hammer blow to the leg from Thor, and then a lightning bolt from Ramuh blasting him off his feet.

Kyoko merely growled as she attempted to limp forwards.

"_Do you even care about yourself?!_" Sayaka exclamed.

"Of course I do you dumbass, I-" Kyoko fell again. Sayaka immediately moved to help her back up, only to pause when she looked in Kyoko's face and saw her tearing up as she focused on Madoka. It didn't last long, as Kyoko grit her teeth and forced herself to stand again. Sayaka tried to help, only to get rebuffed again. "I don't need your help!"

"Well, I'm the healer and I say you do!" Sayaka said. "_Cure!_"

A white light washed over Kyoko, and her wounds healed, returning her strength. Kyoko didn't waste a second, recklessly charging forwards again. Surtr rose at the same time, swinging his sword at the approaching Kyoko. Sayaka immediately dashed forwards and caused her cape to go rigid, blocking the attack. Thor then hurled Mjolnir into Surtr's face, knocking him back.

"Seriously?!" Sayaka said.

Kyoko only glared at Sayaka before rejoining the fight. Sayaka shrugged and followed her, forming a sword and igniting it with those blue-white flames, leaping into the fray.

Surtr regained his balance and lifted his sword. More Fire Demons appeared, emerging from the hollows of the cavern, or bubbling up out of the ground and coming to his aid. As they did so, his sword was engulfed in a massive aura of flame. He roared as he plunged it into the ground.

"Hellfire!"

The ground cracked and then split wide, glowing brightly before erupting, unleashing a massive wave of fire and lava. Everyone dove for cover, narrowly avoiding being incinerated as fiery death burst from the ground and rained from above. Sayaka managed to get behind another pillar, though even then, she could feel the sheer heat. She was then forced to move from her position as flaming rocks came crashing down on her from above, seemingly aimed. She dodged across the battlefield, thankful that her healing abilities took care of any minor burns that occurred when a rock got to close.

When the barrage ended, Sayaka breathed a sigh of relief, only to be confronted with a now massive cloud of smoke covering the battlefield. She then heard a scrape against the ground, and immediately leaped away, narrowly avoiding a claw swipe from a Fire Demon. She then dashed forwards, striking the creature with her glowing sword, dispersing it into cinders.

More emerged out of the smoke cloud, charging towards her. Sayaka was ready however.

"_Water!_" She swung her sword, letting lose a blast of water, causing the demons to reel back in pain, only for her blade to destroy them. When no more seemed to be approaching, she was about to call out, only for a sudden and massive gust of wind to engulf the battlefield.

The smoke was blown away, to reveal that Thor was spinning his hammer rapidly, creating a whirlwind. Meanwhile, Ramuh raised his staff, and lightning bolts lanced out from the top, blasting away numerous demons.

Surtr was about to unleash another wave of flame, only for Madoka to land a direct shot with a _Water_ arrow to the fire giants face. A massive cloud of steam formed, exploding in Surtr's face, blinding him, and causing his attack to go wild.

Taking advantage of his distraction, Sayaka and Kyoko dashed forwards, Kyoko plunged her spear into his chest, while Sayaka slashed at his legs with her glowing sword. At the same time, Ramuh raised his staff and a massive bolt of lightning streaked down from above, striking into Surtr's upraised sword. The giant cried out in pain as he dropped the weapon. Then the girls fell back, attacking the approaching demons while Thor charged forwards.

He slammed into Surtr's chest, and then bounced off, hurling Mjolnir at him, repeatedly. Surtr attempted to counter with fire, but Thor's repeated blows kept him off balance, eventually, Surtr managed to get off a fire attack, but Thor dodged, leaping above it onto a pillar, and then, before the fire giant could react, he came crashing down on him, slamming him so hard that his head was knocked off and extinguished. The headless body staggered about for a second, before collapsing and dispersing. The fire was then sucked into the skull, and then the skull lay still.

Thor immediately grabbed the chains that had once held Sayaka and Kyoko and wrapped them around Surtr's skull, tying it to his back. Meanwhile, the remaining fire demons began to back away, some dispersing back into cinders now that their master was gone.

"**And that is that.**" Ramuh said. "**I believe it is time for us to return.**"

Just then, there was a roaring in the distance. The dragon, chained up the entire fight was now straining against those bonds.

"What, and miss out on a rematch with scaly?" Kyoko said, brandishing her spear.

"Seriously?" Sayaka sighed.

"Thor, clear us a path, if you would. That hard head of yours should be most useful."

"Certainly, it is my pleasure to assist the elderly and infirm." Thor shot back. He then spun his hammer rapidly, before hurling it upwards, rocketing into the air, crashing a hole straight through the ceiling.

The dragon broke free of its chains at that moment, but Ramuh was ready. He raised his staff into the air, and a whirlwind surrounded everyone, lifting them off the ground, and flying them through the hole Thor had created, all the way to the surface.

There, they caught up with Thor, currently extinguishing his cape which had caught on fire.

"Is everyone here?" Thor asked.

"Yep!" Sayaka said.

"Are you kidding me! We could have taken it!" Kyoko shouted.

"Didn't we already have this discussion?!" Sayaka shouted. She then saw the ground cracking, and heard the sound of muffled roaring. The dragon was clearly still after them, tunneling it's own way to the surface.

"It would not be wise to linger." Ramuh said. "Our mission is already accomplished. No need to take additional risks."

Kyoko snarled, a quick flash of a variety of emotions rushing across her face. Finally she grit her teeth and dismissed her spear. "_Fine!_"

"Then were off! Heimdall?" Before Sayaka could react there was a flash of rainbow light, and the world was whisked away.

* * *

The cloaked figure observed in secret. The shadows hid them from view, the villagers were completely unaware of their presence.

The Vanir were a very laid back people, the cloaked figure noted. Even though a fierce battle had taken place merely a day earlier, they saw no real reason why that should interrupt their way of life for long. Repairs had come quick, and the night had been spent mourning the dead, but now, they celebrated life.

Dancing and feasting. Singing songs honoring their rescuers. The noble heroes and warriors of Asgard who fought for justice and honor. Who put themselves at risk so that others could thrive.

What nonsense. What disgusting lies. And these fools could not see the truth, blinded by the pretensions and boasts of Odin and his followers. The noble warriors they revered enforced an empire built upon the foundation blood and cruelty and death.

A low hiss emanated from beneath the cloak. The cloaked figure had power in ways they could not match. These imbeciles wouldn't stand a chance. And yet, tempting as that was, it would be counter to their goals. Draw too much attention at the worst possible time. The stone had been awakened, freed from whatever eldritch vault it had been stored in. That was the priority.

And when it was obtained. There would be nothing that could stand in their way. They stepped away from the village, a dark vortex forming in front of them. As they entered, they smiled. The reckoning of these fools would come. It was only a matter of time.

* * *

_Fun fact. Apparently in the MCU Muspelheim is a dyson sphere._

____Again, thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding!____

____~Dragonexx____


	33. Sages and Sagas

**Chapter 33  
**  
****Sages and Sagas****

* * *

"Okay, we have to do that again!" Sayaka said as she landed, still thrilled. "That was like a rollercoaster on steroids!"

"Can we not? I feel nauseous." Kyoko said.

"What, don't like rollercoasters?"

"Infernal devices designed to make me puke up food I've already worked hard to obtain and eat? No thanks."

"Welcome to Asgard." A deep voice said. She looked up to see a tall black man in golden armor standing upon a podium clutching a sword. Awesome.

"Good to be back Heimdall." Thor said.

"I notice that you are carrying the skull of Surtr on your back." Heimdall said. "That would be the safest within Asgard's vaults."

"Where I'm headed right now." Thor said with a grin. He stepped outside of the room and then with a wave and wink to the others swung his hammer, taking off.

"As floor the rest of you, a transport should be waiting at the other side of the Bifrost like before."

"_Cool!_" Sayaka ran out of the room, and then paused in awe as she saw Asgard. The beautiful golden city. "Holy shit!"

"Yeah, it's amazing isn't it?" Madoka said.

"Totally, I'm snapping a picture." Sayaka said, pulling out her phone. As she opened it, she heard a strange beeping sound instead. The device for a moment became hot, and then the Summon app opened by itself. Then the screen went dark and a glowing red rune appeared, before returning to the app window. There, she saw a new icon added after Ramuh and the Magus Sisters. A strange red horned head.

"No way..." Sayaka started to get what was happening, a second before the text displayed. Ifrit.

Madoka had drawn her Gummiphone as well and was looking at the same thing Sayaka was. "We can summon Ifrit?"

"_It would seem so. You're battle with his aspect as Surtr must have forged a connection._" Ramuh said. It was then that Sayaka noticed that Ramuh hadn't returned with them after they exited the Bifrost portal. He must had de-summoned or whatever they called it at that time.

"Neat let's-"

"_I would advise against that._" Ramuh said.

"_Yeah, Ifrit's a jerk in this World._" Said a feminine voice. She then saw three more holograms appear. Those of the Magus Sisters.

Sandy spoke up. "_I'm certainly not interested in having a run in with him as Surtr, if Ramuh's recount was anything to go by._"

"_Good thing Odin kicked his ass so long ago. He got loosened up like a jar of pickles. A jar of pickles that is somehow on fire._.." Mindy said. "_Though strange as their greater selves get along pretty well usually._"

"I have a question." Madoka asked.

"_Speak, I am a spirit of knowledge. I would be happy to aid you._" Ramuh said.

"So… you said that Odin is like you, he's been around since near the beginning of the universe. Forming spontaneously as concepts like glory and wisdom took root. But… he has a father here. Bor, and then Bor's father Buri… How does that work?"

Ramuh smiled, clearly happy for an opportunity to teach. "_As I have said, we take many forms across many worlds. It is necessary, in some respects._" Ramuh's appearance transformed. His appearance changed, and now he wore yellow robes, and had dark skin, looking more Indian in his appearance. He changed again, transforming into a bald man in orange robes with a long mustache. He didn't remain in that form for long, transforming again. This time, his face was concealed by a large helmet, from underneath which his beard flowed out, and he wore incredibly large and loose robes.

Yet again he transformed, becoming something more mechanical looking, almost like a robot of some sort. Electricity crackled across the length of a long pipe he had as an array of lightning shaped symbols floated behind him. Then, Ramuh transformed one last time, returning to a smaller version of the form she had first seen him in. The flowing robe that seemed to glow near the end, a long beard, small horns leading up to long hair partially held in a bun.

She watched in awe as the Magus Sisters transformed as well. The first wasn't too different, their outfit merely changing colors. The second was more drastic. Sandy's clothes became green and even more revealing, a bra and loincloth, mixed with thigh high stockings, that accentuated her more robust figure. Cindy's figure became more curvy, wearing something similar to a short kimono, open to expose her cleavage, while Mindy's clothes became more sleek, a tunic and shorts, mixed with a scarf.

Their appearance changed again, wearing outfits that made them resemble insects. Sandy's was a mantis, Cindy's a beetle, and Mindy's a wasp.

"_We Espers are, in a sense, beings of stories. While we can be summoned into a World by those that know the proper magics, we are then bound by the conditions and laws of the summoning. Usually to act at the behest of the summoner. If we wish for more freedom to affect a World, then we must become a part of that World's story. Melding ourselves into that World seamlessly._"

"What does it mean to do that though?"

"_In entering a World without being summoned, we must become part of that World, called manifesting. This can take many forms. We can be born, or created, or in some cases if were lucky, simply spontaneously appearing. We don't actually have full control over what we end up as, though how much power we impart into it can affect that. Often, we take roles as deities, which might explain why Odin was worshipped once in your own World. Perhaps he was a part of it at some point… I'd have to ask his greater self when I have the chance. Regardless, he manifested himself in this World by being born. Hence why here, he has parents and siblings._"

"That's kinda cool! Why don't you do that everywhere though?" Sayaka wondered. "If I could do that, I'd want to see all sorts of Worlds!"

"_Manifesting is a major undertaking. It involves essentially breaking off a portion of our self. As I said, to enter a world, we must become a part of that World. That manifestation is of course weaker than our greater being, and loses much of the awareness of other Worlds, in some cases, losing that knowledge entirely. It's not something to be done lightly._"

"Breaking off a portion of yourself? That's..." Sayaka turned to see Madoka staring off into space. Her eyes were wide, unblinking.

"Madoka? What's going on?"

"_Um..._" Ramuh paused.

However, before anything else could happen, Mindy spoke up.

"_Meh, we don't need any of your old man lectures on how serious manifesting is. I just think you always want to be the one in charge._"

At her words, Madoka seemed to regain focus. "Huh?"

"_Yeah, you don't need to manifest yourself as something big and dramatic like a deity. Sometimes, you can just give yourself a smaller form. Sometimes you don't want to be in charge of things, and you'd rather just experience a World you're curious about._" Sandy said. The sisters then transformed into the forms of women with the lower bodies if snakes, and hoods like a cobra in place of hair. After that, they transformed into a trio of women in functional armor.

"_So sometimes, we just manifest in lesser forms. Sometimes leaders, sometimes average people, sometimes monsters or even entire races or species. Goblin, and King Moggle Mog XII especially like to do this._" Cindy elaborated.

"_Indeed. Some even become fixtures of the world like objects, landscapes or buildings, or even ideas and concepts, like this worlds Ragnarok._" Ramuh said.

"_Yeah, Ragnarok's freaking weird, even by Esper standards._" Sandy said.

"_And that is also why I would not recommend summoning Ifrit here. As said, we take many forms and roles across many worlds, though they are always aligned with our nature. For me, lightning is the element of inspiration. I am the Esper of Storms and Knowledge. My roles are often as guides, scholars, teachers, and mentors. To gain and spread knowledge. However, not all Espers are so benevolent. Ifrit is the Esper of Fire and Ruin. Fire is the element of passion. While that can be embodied as love, drive, and energy, it can also manifest as destruction and rage. Ifrit has been at times a protector, a hero, a savior of the innocent and downtrodden. However, at other times, he has been a destroyer. This is why I say it would be… unwise… to summon Ifrit here in the Nine Realms. As he is here, in this world as Surtr, he is destined to bring about Ragnarok. Fire can create and empower as much as it can destroy._"

"That's… that's _crazy_!" Sayaka said. The idea was just... why? How? "Why would he decide to help people in one world and decide to hurt them in another?"

"_We Espers are in so many ways bound by our nature, as I said, we are beings of stories, concepts given Heart and Body and we must act accordingly to what we are, even if we at times might wish otherwise. Free will is a product of mortality, after all. I am lucky in that my sphere is that of Knowledge. The Magus Sisters are the Esper of Cooperation and Sisterhood. Our spheres lend themselves to more benevolent pursuits. Others, are more divided. Take Bahamut. He is the Esper of Majesty and Force. While at times, he can be a paragon of justice and beacon to heroes and leaders, a storm of destruction is in a sense, majestic, is it not? Or say Leviathan, Esper of Water and Changeability. As changing, harsh, and untamable as the sea itself. The ocean can be a sailors greatest ally one moment and their worst enemy the next, after all._"

"_And then still, there are some espers who are just dangerous, like Shinryu or Shemhazai. Their spheres are wholly destructive._" Cindy said.

"That's… a lot to wrap my head around." Sayaka said.

"Hardly. It's people. Some are nice, some are shitstains." Kyoko said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Well people can choose to be who they are." Sayaka said. "If you have to do something, no matter how much you might not want to, or no matter how much you disagree with it, that's..."

She was at a loss for words. Espers were completely different beings.

Madoka sighed, looking off in the distance.

"_Maybe this is a bit heavy of a topic. I do believe I have let myself get carried away and droned on longer than I expected, though it has brought us to our destination."_

"And it looks like our ride is here!" Kyoko said. "Flying longboats. Of course."

"That sounds awesome!" Sayaka exclaimed.

"It is! It's amazing!" Madoka said. "I love the view!"

"I can't wait!" Sayaka said as she rushed forwards.

"We've already been on a flying ship, remember?" Kyoko said.

"Yeah, a spaceship. Not an airship!"

"What's the difference?" Kyoko asked.

"There's plenty of difference!" Sayaka said, as she leaped into the ship. Madoka and Kyoko filed in after her. The ship took off, flying off of the bridge and across the city.

"Hey, wait!" Madoka asked. "I thought we were going to the palace to meet Nagisa?"

Sayaka's heart sunk as she heard the pilots words.

"No, she's not at the palace. We've taken her for examination at a medical facility."

* * *

Madoka couldn't help but stare at Nagisa, as she lay on some sort of stone altar, unmoving, and in some sort of horrific state. She looked like a clown, or at least clowns from the nightmares of frightened children. Her skin was white as snow. Her eyes were wide and bulging, with strange rings of colors, while her mouth had a massive and unsettling looking grin. Orange circles were painted on her cheeks.

If it weren't for her costume, Madoka feared she wouldn't have even recognized her. A thought that filled her with shame. Nagisa was her friend. Did she really mean so little to Madoka? God she was an awful person.

"What the fuck? What's wrong with her?" Kyoko said.

"We are still trying to figure that out." Said one of the women examining her. "Whatever it is, it's like nothing we've ever seen before."

"What happened to her?" Sayaka asked.

"Heimdall finally found this poor girl in Jotunhiem, lying in the ruins of a frost giant village, almost buried in snowfall. We thought her condition mere hypothermia, but she has recovered quickly from that, and yet she does not stir."

Madoka watched as Sayaka walked over to Nagisa. "Hello? Can you hear me?"

She waved her hand over Nagisa's head and even snapped her fingers, but there was no response, even though her eyes appeared wide open.

"Is there anything we can do?" Madoka asked, though she already knew the answer.

"I'm sorry. Perhaps it would be best if you were to return to the palace for now. We'll update you if her condition changes." the healer said.

Madoka frowned, but oblidged. Just one more thing she was useless at...

* * *

It couldn't be that simple could it?

Kyoko had lagged behind the others as they walked towards the palace. She had to admit that Asgard certainly was fancy, though unlike the others, she wasn't as naively awestruck by all the gold and glitter.

It was omnipresent, like some rich fuckwit who always showed up in the most expensive suits and latest cars, and flaunted their status every chance they got. The whole thing reeked of desperation. Screaming "Look at me! Look how fancy and important I am!" Dolling themselves up to try to distract everyone from how ugly and pathetic they were. Like a cheap alley hooker drenched in makeup and perfume.

But she wasn't going to be fooled. Nobody got rich without stepping on others. That was the way of the world. Survival of the fittest. As she looked around the palace, at all that splendor, she wondered which poor saps had been at the wrong end of an Asgardian sword. God, Odin, it didn't make a difference. Buncha deities more concerned with power and attention whoring than actually fixing problems.

But again, that was life, wasn't it? Rich assholes wasting their money on five-course meals and designer foods they're meant to be seen eating, where most of that food probably got thrown out, while less than a mile away there was probably some poor bastard starving to death.

Odin was the Esper of Wisdom and Glory. She recalled Ramuh's lecture about the nature of his kind as she looked around at the golden towering palace. Self-glorification certainly seemed like it fell under that purview.

Then, she saw it. That stupidly named hammer, what was it, Mew Mew? Whatever. That hammer that Thor had been wielding, just sitting off to the side of the courtyard. That hammer that could control the wind, shoot lightning, fly, and smash monsters like nobody's business, and it was just lying there. Out in the open, off to the side of the path.

Kyoko looked around. Was this a setup? Surely nobody could be stupid enough to leave a weapon that powerful just lying around where anyone could just walk up and grab it. Kyoko walked up to the hammer, inspecting it. Up close it really didn't look like much. It was oddly small, having a short grip with a strap at the end. The head had some neat looking carvings though that was it. But then again, she had seen this weapon wreck armies and own fire giants.

_Ah fuck it!_ Kyoko thought. She then walked up to the weapon. Maybe Asgard worked on the honor system or something stupid like that. Whatever, if they were just going to leave something as powerful as that unprotected, then it was really their own fault for what would inevitably happen. Looking forwards to her joyride, Kyoko grabbed the weapon.

And it didn't budge.

"What the hell?" Kyoko let go, confused. The thing wasn't moving at all. She tried again, only to the same result. It didn't budge. How heavy was this thing? Sure, Thor was strong, but Kyoko and the others were stronger than normal as well. She grit her teeth, gripped the hammer with both hands and pulled.

The result was again the same. Was this a trick? A setup? She pulled again and again, only to find no luck. The hammer seemed determined to stay put.

"You won't have much luck with that, I'm afraid. It only allows those who are worthy to lift it." Said a female voice.

"Yeah, because some spoiled prince livin' in a golden castle is totally 'worthy'." Kyoko snapped back. She turned to see a middle-aged looking woman standing before her. Her hair was done elegantly, and she wore a blue dress that surprisingly had some armor mixed in to the design.

"You'd be surprised. Thor has had his arrogant and shortsighted moments in the past, but he's grown into quite the hero. I'm so proud of him."

"You talk like you know him. Who even are you?"

"Frigga, queen of Asgard." She said.

_Crap._ Kyoko was tempted to make a sarcastic remark, but held her tongue. Both because she had no desire to piss off royalty, and also because she remembered that these people were helping them. Rescuing her friends and looking into whatever strange malady Nagisa had. So instead, she bowed.

"Um… you're majesty, I'm so-"

"Oh, don't bother with those empty formalities. We both know you don't mean it."

"Uh..." Kyoko stood up straight, caught off guard.

"It's not necessary regardless." Frigga said, turning towards the hammer. "You were curious about Mjolnir. The hammer is enchanted by the power of Odin himself. 'Whosoever holds this hammer, if they be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.' It won't allow anyone unworthy to wield it."

"So, it's like the Keyblade then." Kyoko said.

"Perhaps. I know much of magic, but unfortunately little about them. The last time we had a wielder in this realm was well over a millennium ago. I believe it was a 'Bill' or something? Quite the charming fellow, even managed to impress my husband, and he doesn't give out praise lightly." Frigga's expression then became more serious. "But, I can tell that you aren't particularly interested in history. The hammer, the Keyblade. You feel unworthy. Inferior to those around you."

Kyoko stiffened.

"What do you know? What makes you think you know me?! Do you think you can read my mind or something?" She asked sarcastically.

"Because I am a queen? Living the high life in the palace? I think not. I was raised by witches and I can see with more than just my eyes. However, I don't need that to tell what's bothering you. I am a mother after all."

"How so?"

"You remind me of my younger son. Neglected by his father. Always living in his brothers shadow. He didn't have the strength and boisterousness that his brother did. That Asgard so valued. He felt he couldn't live up to the ideals that surrounded him. So yes, I do understand. Tell me."

Kyoko sighed. She really didn't want to. Or maybe she did… Ah fuck it.

"Were… on a quest. A whole… save the universe thing." Kyoko said.

"I've seen my fair share of those." Frigga said.

"Yeah… Everybody else is just… into it, I guess. They just accepted that they're now fighting the Legion of Doom." Kyoko said.

"And you don't."

"I… I don't know. Back in that Mordor place or whatever, I got into an argument with Sayaka. Like… were not the first people to attempt this quest. Nowhere near the first. All the other people who have tried to fight the good fight have ended up suffering horribly for it, or having their victories be revealed to be meaningless. But… Sayaka… she said that even knowing that, it's still worth doing. But I've seen-" Kyoko stopped as images she fought to keep repressed surged back into her head. Her fathers tears, empty pews in the chapel, burning, so much burning...

"Seen what?"

"I've… seen this all before." Kyoko said. Once she started, the words wouldn't stop. "Tried to be a hero. Looked at all that was wrong with the world, tried to change it. My father was a preacher. A really compassionate man, the kind of guy who would just cry at sad stories he heard on the news, even ones that had no relation to him because he just cared that much. And yet, no matter how hard he preached, how many people he tried to teach, nothing was getting better. So he changed his preachings, saying that they should be updated for the modern age rather than cling to outdated ideas. It was amazing. But nobody listened. Everybody just saw him as crazy and left. We tried to be heroes and all it did was tear our family apart. Now, I'm the only one left."

"And now you see it happening again."

Kyoko stiffened. The queen had cut right through her. "I… I want to believe in this. But every time I do, I see my little sister. Wasting away... crying… dead… The others can just do it, just… be heroes, but I..."

"Feel unworthy?" Frigga said.

Kyoko looked back at Mjolnir. "...y-yeah."

"By whose standards?"

"Huh?"

"By whose standards?" Frigga asked. "The Keyblades? You're fathers? Mjolnir's?"

"Well, being considered unworthy by a god-king is a pretty sound rejection."

"Oh Odin." Frigga then gave a mischievous grin. "Just between the two of us, Odin wouldn't be half the king he is without me. In fact, I daresay that if it wasn't for the fact that it was he who placed the enchantment, he himself wouldn't be worthy of Mjolnir."

"Huh..." Kyoko's opinion of the queen shot up a few notches.

"Others may or may not consider you worthy by their own standards, but the World is vast. What's necessary in one place may not be such in another. In the end, everyone fails at who their supposed to be. The true measure of a hero is how well they succeed at being who they are."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Kyoko asked.

"I suppose, I see a bit of my younger son in you." Frigga said, looking somber for a moment. The expression vanished quickly however. "And with that, I may have something to teach you...

* * *

_Thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding!_

_~Dragonexx_


	34. Prison Blues

**Chapter 34**

**Prison Blues**

* * *

When Mami next awoke, her mind was more clear. She stirred, and managed to open her eyes. The lights weren't as bright now. Either that, or her eyesight was more focused. She took in a deep breath, and then tried to move, only to meet a strange resistance. She looked down, to realize that she was bound in some sort of energy manacles.

"_What?!_" Mami shot up, and then attempted to struggle against them, but to no avail. She then looked around her location, to realize that she was in a prison cell. There were various other people around the cell too, similarly bound.

"Madoka? Kyoko? Nagisa? Sayaka?" She called out. There was no response. She didn't recognize any of these people.

"Where am I?" She asked, turning to a prisoner near her. "What happened?"

There was no response. The person she asked simply looked away glumly.

Well, it appeared she was on her own.

Mami thought back, trying to figure out how she had arrived her. The last thing she remembered was… _the ship_! The ship was under attack by Heartless. There was a bright flash of light…

And it must have been shot down. Mami's heart sank at the thought of this. The others might be injured or worse and she had no idea where they were. She had no idea where she was either. Not even what World she was in.

What if they were in danger? What if they were dead? Mami started breathing heavily, as memories of that horrible day resurfaced, the day of the crash. They were dead and…

_No!_

Not now. She couldn't afford get distracted by that now. Figure out her own situation. Find the others. Then deal with that.

She looked around the cell. There were no bars, instead, there was a glowing forcefield that prevented escape. There weren't any air ducts or ventilations shafts big enough to fit through. And she was bound in some sort of energy manacles, preventing her from using her hands.

Had she been arrested? But for what? After the crash she had blacked out, and woken up here. Unless that was somehow a crime, she had nothing to fear. Sooner or later, someone must show up who she could explain her situation to.

As it turned out, sooner was right. After about 10 minutes of boredom, she saw figure enter, clad in piecemeal armor and carrying a strange looking rifle. What shocked her more was that the figure was clearly not human, having pink skin and large horns.

"Alright scum! On your feet!" He said, brandishing the gun. "Out onto the platform. And no funny business."

The rest of the occupants of the cell complied, and Mami followed along with them. They were led out of what was revealed to be ship of sort. When they emerged into the open air, Mami gasped.

It was like she had stepped into sci-fi film. She was in a massive futuristic looking city, filled with aliens of all kinds. She saw horns, tails, tentacles, eyestalks, and even wings in the distance. She looked up to see spaceships flying through the air.

The entire city wasn't open to the sky however, there was a ceiling making her think it might be built inside a cave or even a space station.

She was on a _space station!_

"Alright, line up." The guard said, and the prisoners obeyed, stepping onto the platform. Mami followed suit, making sure to maneuver to the front of the crowd before kneeling with the rest of them.

As she looked around, she saw crates and piles of various objects, ranging from weapons, to clothing, to works of art and more.

"Are you sure it's wise to have all this stuff out in the open." One of the guards asked.

"Yeah, he prefers to inspect it personally." Said another. This one looked more human, though covered in tattoos. "And speak of Mephisto..."

Mami heard the sound of an engine and looked up to see a fancy looking ship approaching, to land at the edge of the field. A landing ramp extended, and from it two figures emerged. The first was a red skinned woman in a white dress, followed by a white haired man clad in elegant and expensive looking clothes and a fur cape.

"May I present Tanaleer Tivan, the Collector." The woman said.

One of the guards rushed over to him.

"I'm so glad you could make it on such short notice, sir!" He said.

"I was told you Marauders had a decent offer of collectibles. I expect to not be disappointed." He said coldly.

They were called Marauders. That wasn't exactly a name that inspired confidence.

The Collector first strode over to a set of statues. He calmly looked them over, before slowly approaching and picking up a small stone statue. The piece was intricately carved and painted, depicting a man holding an oar.

"Ah, that's a carving of Njord. That was quite the bit of trouble to obtain, but I just knew that you'd be interested in it. I say it's worth about-"

The Collector shrugged and tossed the priceless work of art over his shoulder, where it shattered on the ground.

"Hey you can't just-"

The Collector calmly turned to him, and he immediately shied away.

"Be grateful that the honored Collector is even giving you a moment of his time." The red skinned woman said.

"Y-yeah."

The Collector than strode over to the platform where Mami and the others were. And this was where Mami's suspicions started to be raised. The way he looked over the crowd made her skin crawl. He was examining them the same way she might inspect produce at the market.

"Ah, we do have a fine collection of specimens for you."

The Collector walked as he looked over the crowd. "I have Aesir and Vanir aplenty."

He paused at Mami. She looked into his eyes, and it hit her. A name like the Marauders? A man called the Collector? This was a slave auction. These people were _slavers_. These prisoners had been abducted from their homes to be sold as _property_.

"Terrans as well." He said. He then turned to a pile of weapons and gasped. It was as if he had become a completely different person. He rushed over to the pile.

"_Is that what I think it is?_" He asked excitedly.

"Yeah! Of course it is! Um… what is it again?"

"An Asgardian energy mace. Part of the arsenal of weapons designed by King Eitri himself. I had despaired at ever having a complete set. But now it's here!"

"Um… yeah. I got it specifically with you in mind." He hastily snapped his fingers and pointed and some more of the Marauders rushed over to the pile of weapons. They carefully extracted the mace from the pile and placed it on a cart, floating it over towards the Collector's ship.

"I am willing to open the offers at 50,000 units."

"Oh, I can assure that it's worth much more than that." Said the Marauder.

As most of the Marauders headed over to observe the haggling, Mami thought.

She looked at the crowd of sullen, miserable people. Even if the Collector wasn't interested in buying them, it wouldn't stop there. The Marauders would simply find another buyer.

She looked around the field. Not counting the Collector and his servant, there were a total of eight Marauders, all wielding guns and most carrying swords or axes at their side. Her hands were bound, and she had no idea how to get the restraints off, but now was clearly the best time to act. Few enemies, and she wasn't in a force field protected cell.

There was currently only one Marauder standing near the platform. Most were distracted, watching the negotiations. She could take them out, then most likely find something among the stolen weapons and items that she could use to break her restraints, and then those of the other prisoners, and then fly the ship out of here. Or at least get one of them to fly the ship...

Alright, she had a plan of action. Time to execute.

Mami took a deep breath, exhaled, and then inhaled again. She then donned her costume. Before the Marauder could react, Mami had sprung up and kicked the gun out of his hands. She then spun, and kicked him in the face, sending him flying.

The other nearby Marauder had started turning at the noise, but it was too late. He shot, but Mami sidestepped as she ran towards him, leaping into the air over another shot, flipping, and bringing down her boot on his head. The Marauder crumpled to the ground.

By now, the others had taken notice and were drawing their weapons. Fortunately, she had moved away from the slave platform so there was no risk of them getting hit in the crossfire.

Mami ducked beneath a plasma shot and at the same time, kicked the gun of the fallen Marauder straight into the face of another, sending him stumbling back into his comrades. With that temporary disruption, Mami leaped behind the one of the piles of looted weapons.

The Marauders had recovered by that point, and opened fire on the pile creating a fiery explosion as various weapons were set ablaze. Fortunately, Mami was already on the move, ducking behind nearby piles, staying out of sight, using the explosion and rain of debris as cover.

"Did we get her?" One of them asked.

_No. No you didn't._ Mami thought with some satisfaction as she leaped out from behind another pile, catching two more Marauders by surprise. One tried to grab her but she kneed him in the groin, causing him to bend over in agony where she brought her manacled hands down on the back of his head, sending him to the ground. Before the other could shoot, she shoulder charged, tackling him to the ground and leaping on top of him where she then smashed her bound hands down on his face.

As the other Marauders turned and opened fire, Mami rolled off of him, kicking his weapon at them in the same motion. They were ready for that trick this time, but Mami didn't care, they ducked, causing the rifle to slam into a nearby light post, where the voltage ignited it and it exploded and sending the entire field into darkness.

"_Gah! Fuck!_" One shouted.

"Where is that damned dial! _Find it!_"

"I know I set it down somewhere!"

At that confusion, Mami retreated, ducking behind another pile (this time of non-explosive things) as the Marauders started firing, attempting to hit her, though their shots were wildly off. They had no idea where she had gone. From the shadows, Mami snuck around, and when an opportunity soon presented itself, she leaped out from cover, kicking a Marauder in the back of the head, denting his helmet and crumpling him to the ground.

From there she kicked upwards, knocking the weapon out of the hand of another, and sending him stumbling back to the ground. She then stomped on his face, knocking him out. As others turned, Mami retreated back into cover, quickly moving about as they fired upon where she had been.

However, their numbers had dwindled. Aided further by her efforts when she leaped out from a different position, jumping between two Marauders and performing a split kick. She then hit the ground, rolling beneath another shot and then came up headbutting one of them to knock him back and then kicking him in the chest sending him sprawling to the ground. She then spun towards the other dazed Marauder and kicked him in the chest, sending him flying to crash into a pile of stolen valuables.

As she looked up, she found that she was near the cart on which the energy mace had been placed. With a precise kick she sent the weapon flying towards the Collector, who calmly leaned to the side, while his servant fled and screamed. But she wasn't going to stop with that. She dashed towards him, prepared to take him down like the rest. Then it all went wrong.

Her body exploded in pain and she went tumbling to the ground. She tried to move but her limbs wouldn't respond, it was like her entire body was seizing up. During her convulsions, she saw that the energy manacles were now glowing and crackling with electricity. She tried to speak, but all that could come out was a wimper.

"I'm so sorry! So sorry!" One of the Marauders said. He moved with a limp, but now carried some sort of remote like device in his hand "I had no idea that she would do that!"

"This creature. It's unlike anything I have ever seen before. _Fascinating!_ I must have it!"

"Uh… yeah. I'm glad you enjoyed this demonstration. Let's talk money!" He said enthusiastically as he cranked up the dial.

The pain skyrocketed and Mami screamed in that brief agonizing moment before she blacked out.

* * *

Though the place burned brightly, it's flame had gone out long ago. The cloaked figure observed the ruins of the kingdom of Muspelheim as it strode through the burning caves. There was barely anything left. There hadn't been before, when Asgards armies laid waste to this world out of fear.

_Ragnarok._ The prophecy that would annihilate an empire. The King of Flames plunging his sword into the soil of Asgard, burning it to ashes. Odin had feared that prophecy and had made war upon Muspelheim, with the pretense of unification. A unification that led to a near genocide. Asgard was so glorious, wasn't it?

Unfortunately, as it was discovered, Surtr was protected by fate. He could not be killed for he must fufill Ragnarok. So Asgard laid waste to their civilization, and stole from them their source of power, the Eternal Flame that they could never rise up to threaten them. And so Muspelheim became a broken world.

And it seemed even that was not allowed, for this fight had been reignited. He could sense it. The Thunder God had been here, and had taken the king himself prisoner.

The cloaked figure turned as they heard shuffling nearby. Out of a cloud of smoke staggered creatures seemingly made of cinders and flame. Fire Demons. They were less actual creatures, and more expressions of Surtr's power. And with Surtr removed from his realm, that power was waning. The figure watched as the Demons stumbled to the ground, beginning to fall apart.

There was little to see here, they realized. In the end, they were just killing time. The Demons were no threat, and there were few if any Fire Giants left. This was a dead world, another broken by the empire of Asgard. But they would fall. Asgard would be brought low by their own arrogance. The seeds of it's destruction had already been planted, long, long, ago, and now, they were finally sprouting.

The cloaked figure made ready to leave. All the pieces were coming together, and it wouldn't do to be late. Not when it's prize, the Reality Stone, awaited.

The cloaked figure made ready to depart, only for the ground to shake beneath their feet. They turned as they heard roaring, to see the fire dragon stalking towards them. The figure grinned as a blade emerged from the cloak. Well, perhaps they could take a little time...  


* * *

_Thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding!_

_~Dragonexx_


	35. Shadows Beyond the Stars

**Chapter 35  
**  
****Shadows Beyond the Stars****

* * *

Knowhere was a haven for the lost. The severed head of a Celestial being drifting at the edge of the cosmos. Here was where the scum of the universe gathered. Raiders, slavers, murderers, smugglers and even worse.

It was a lawless place, held in order only be immediate might, and nothing else. Where the weak were broken while the strong thrived.

However, even the strong knew there were some foes that you just got the out of the fucking way of.

A towering stone creature stomped through the city, shoving aside any who got in his way. While Kronan's were intimidating at the best of times, they weren't almighty. However, what deterred any from accosting this specific Kronan were the creatures following it.

Strange black beings with yellow eyes. One wore a suit of armor and carried a punch dagger in it's hand. Another had twin blades. One carried a bow while the last had most of it's body taken up by a massive hammer.

While some simply stared at these bizarre creatures, others shied away, dimly recalling records or memories of the horrifying 'creatures of dark' that hadn't been seen in millennia, or having heard news of these strange creatures appearing in isolated corners among the stars.

Thus, the Kronan was given a wide berth as he strode through Knowhere, towards his destination. The Marauders ship that had recently arrived.

"Open up you mutinous shitstains!" He shouted, slamming on the entrance to the ship. The hatch quickly opened, to reveal an angry looking Marauder.

'Do you even know whose ship you're… _HOLY SHIT_! You're supposed to be dead!"

"Those reports were greatly exaggerated." The Kronan said. "Take me to the bridge."

"Uh..." The Marauder eyed the creatures of dark behind him. "R-right away."

The Marauder led him through the ship, eliciting stares from other Marauders that were at first confused, then secondly fearful.

He was led into the bridge room where two Marauders were chatting.

"See, I told you it was a good idea. We're going to make so many-" he then turned, and jumped out of his seat. "_B-boss?_ B-but you were chunked by Thor!"

"So they say."

"Well… um… welcome back." He said.

"Open the containment cells."

"W-what?"

"Open the containment cells."

"But we have a bunch of slaves in there. We just negotiated a massively lucrative deal for one of them and are waiting for transport." he said. "We can't just let them out."

"Are you defying me?"

"Maybe." He said, gripping the sword at his side.

"This is _mutiny._" the Kronan said.

"It might be." More Marauders entered the room, blocking off the exit and taking fighting stances, wielding swords, axes and rifles.

The Kronan looked around. And then gave a strange and uncharacteristic shrug.

"_Ah screw it._" He said in a strangely young and feminine voice. "_We're in far enough. Madoka?_"

The dark creature wielding a bow suddenly fired into the air, releasing a pink arrow that exploded in a burst of light, blinding the Marauders.

There was a blur of motion, and the sound of impacts and screams, and when the light faded, there was a pile of unconscious Marauders, while Kyoko, Thor, Sif, Sayaka, and Madoka stood over them.

"We really should have left one of them standing." Sif said, as she looked over the motionless bodies. "Now how shall we free the prisoners?"

"_The Keyblade might be able to aid with that._" Ramuh said, his hologram appearing over Madoka's shoulder. "_Simply direct it at the console, like you would an ordinary lock._"'

"Um… okay." Madoka said. She raised Crystal Clarity, and the tip of it glowed, like it had back in the mall. A beam of light shot out of the tip, directly into the control console of the ship, and strangely, there was the very satisfying sound of a tumbler unlocking.

* * *

Mami came too, feeling worse than ever. She felt nauseous, and was drenched in sweat. Her vision was blurry and unfocused, and as she sat up, she dry heaved.

Eventually, she managed to get her body under control enough to realize that she was in the cell again.

"Wha-what happened?"

"You fought valiantly, but alas, those villains used cowardly tactics to subdue you." Said a man.

"I'd say it's her fault for being uppity." Said a voice. Mami looked up to see several Marauders standing on the other side of the prison cell. She noted with no small amount of satisfaction that the one closest to her had a smashed nose and a black eye. Another walked with a slight limp, while the third was clearly missing some teeth when he opened his mouth in a grin.

"But it's all worth it in the end. You should feel proud. The Collector was fascinated and offered us 70 million units for you."

"Excuse me if I don't find being a prop for some creep all that exciting." She said, standing up.

"Well it doesn't matter in the end. The Collector gets you, and we get set for life." The Marauder chuckled.

Mami tried to think of a rebuttal, but nothing would come to mind. True she was more than a match for them even without the use of her hands, but as long as they had that shock function and the force field, then none of that mattered.

Mami slumped back to her knees. She was helpless, again, powerless to do anything but watch as everything in her life was stripped away from her, leaving her alone. Except this time, it was even worse as she would spend the rest of her life trapped in a cage for the amusement of some rich creep who'd probably forget about her once he found the next interesting thing.

She was a failure. All the others were depending on her, and she should depend on them, but none of that even mattered now. Only just started on their mission and she had led them to disaster, crashing on an unknown world and scattered. She had no idea where the others were, if they were safe, or even alive.

Perhaps the Marauders had already sold them to other buyers. Perhaps they were space dust. For all she knew, she was the sole survivor of the crash.

She looked again at all the other prisoners around her. They were her responsibility as well, weren't they. She was supposed to be a hero. A leader. But she was unworthy of the position. These people had ripped from their homes and sold as _things_. Things to be owned. It was supposed to be her duty to stop these horrific events, and yet, due to her own screw-ups, she was now just as vulnerable as them.

Her heart sank. She wanted to cry. She thought she had been doing so well, that she was someone others could look up to, seek advice from. But now…

"_Hey, Mami, ya' down there? Don't say I never gave ya' anything. Light the fuckers up!_" Said the intercom.

Mami shot up. That voice. Was that Kyoko?! That meant at least she was okay!

Suddenly, there was a flash of light. When it faded, the barrier in front of the cell was open, and at the same time, the energy manacles deactivated, freeing her hands. Alarms sounded.

The Marauders looked around in confusion, before settling on the prisoners. They raised their weapons, but by then it was too late.

A set of red ribbons appeared, binding them. Mami then gestured with her hands, and the Marauders were flung into the walls where they lay still. She took a deep breath, setting aside all her confused feelings. Deal with that later. Get everyone out now.

She lifted her hand, and felt the familiar feeling of comfort as the silver musket appeared in her grip.

"Come on! Let's get out of here!" Mami shouted to the crowd. However, they hesitated, backing away from her, causing her heart to sink. Were they afraid of her?

"We have to move, while their disorganized!" Mami said.

She then kicked down the door leading to the brig, revealing several confused and shocked Marauders in the hallway, with more approaching. While she had at first been bound and had to be cautious and careful, now, she could let loose. She opened fire, blasting one of them away. Then she dashed forwards, smacking her musket against the head of another, sending him crumpling to the ground. As the remaining Marauders opened fire, Mami leaped into the air and spread out her arms. A set of muskets emerged from her chest and shot into the air. As she landed she caught one of them and blasted away a Marauder, then spinning away from an attack from another Marauder, catching another musket, and opening fire.

It continued like that, gracefully dancing through the Marauders attacks as she opened fire avoiding harm as plasma shots streaked past her. The slavers couldn't keep up, their shots easily dodged, as she fired musket after musket, each shot blasting away another enemy as she advanced through the halls, moving with all the grace and elegance of a dancer, step to step, stance to stance.

She reached the end of the hallway as the last of the Marauders collapsed. She then looked at her handiwork. Every single slaver that had attacked her was now down, and she was unscathed. Not for the first time, she wondered where these skills had come from. They must have come with her powers, for there was no other logical explanation for how she had gone from an ordinary teenage girl to a kung-fu-fighting sniper in so short a time-span.

But that wasn't all there was. Mami had started to think of herself as a logical person but this was on a whole other level. She recalled the battle earlier where she had been bound. How she had calmly assessed the situation, sizing up her opposition and making a plan of attack. Weaving in and out of gunfire, taking cover from retaliation, changing the battlefield to disorient her enemies, using their numbers against them. It was all frankly amazing, and nothing she had even dreamed of being capable of. Those were the kinds of skills one would find in someone like a black-ops specialist.

_And yet, I can't keep our group from fighting all the time, or not lead us into disaster._ Mami thought. Though Kyoko was here, which meant that perhaps the others were as well. She pushed the thoughts out of her mind once more. Best to focus on getting away from these Marauders.

Mami pushed open the next door. She would get out of here and then...

As she stepped into a room that must be the cargo hold, Mami froze as she saw a massive force of Marauders, weapons trained on her.

._..Walk right into an ambush. _Mami thought. There had to be perhaps 20 or even 30 of them! There was no way she could take on all of them, at least not without putting the prisoners in danger.

Her heart sank once again. She hadn't anticipated this. She had led them to their dooms.

Then, the entire vessel shook. The Marauders stumbled back, looking confused. Then, all of a sudden, the entire ceiling exploded in a burst of electricity. Marauders were blasted away, screaming in shock and fear.

When the spots cleared from Mami's eyes, she saw a man standing in the epicenter of where the blast had been. He looked to be in his late twenties or mid thirties. He had blonde hair and wore a suit of armor with a flowing red cape and carried an oddly small hammer in his grip. She wasn't sure who this man was, but the others around her certainly did.

She noticed as their expressions immediately brightened, smiles of joy and relief on their faces.

"Thor! It's Thor!"

"Be wary. They're not down yet! Those who can fight, protect those who cannot! Take them back into the hallway!" 'Thor' said.

It was something she would be deeply ashamed of, but she felt a twinge of jealousy at their reactions. She watched the armed ones step forwards to defend the others. This man could inspire confidence in them where she could not.

Then she saw one of the Marauders rise from behind a crate, aiming a gun at Thor. Acting on instinct, Mami held out her hand, forming a ribbon that bound him. At the same time, Thor turned, and then hurled his hammer, smacking the man head on. He then held out his hand and the hammer returned to his grip.

"Hello, miss. I-" There was a sudden flash of light as another Marauder opened fire, only for Thor to block the attack with his hammer and then hurled a bolt of electricity. By that time however, the other Marauders were recovering from Thor's initial assault and preparing to fight.

Mami leaped into battle, a set of guns appearing in the air and firing as she dashed behind a crate. From there, she leapt over the crate, a new gun appearing in her hand, though this one was a bright crimson.

"_Fireshot!_" She shouted. The gun let lose a bullet infused with magic, which exploded on impact, blasting away Marauders in a fiery explosion. As she fired, she was already on the move, landing next to Thor, another musket in her hands and using it to smack away another Marauder that approached. Thor then hurled his hammer, rocketing the thug into a wall. He then summoned the hammer back to him, but instead of catching it, he sidestepped, letting the weapon fly past him to slam into two more Marauders who were approaching.

As he did so, Mami spun, ducking beneath a shot and then firing two guns in opposite directions, blasting away more Marauders.

"_Good one!_" Thor said, as he called his hammer back to him and then hung on as it flew, letting it pull him towards another group of Marauders, who reacted too slowly to avoid being clobbered.

A few more well placed musket shots dropped the last of the enemies in the room. With the coast clear, Thor alerted the former prisoners, and they began filing out.

Mami meanwhile caught her breath, leaning against a crate as she observed the proceedings, with the prisoners. The exit they had been led out of earlier was now open, and the prisoners were eagerly taking advantage of it. She noted the hopeful and joyous expressions they now bore, the mere presence of Thor seeming to lift their spirits.

Thor… that name sounded familiar. She looked at him. Tall, with a hammer that shot lightning. Could it really be the Norse god?

"As I was saying before, well met. You're quite the skilled warrior. The others were right to speak so highly of you."

"The others?" Mami asked. She then heard a familiar voice shouting.

"Alright assholes, get ready for an ass whuppin!"

Kyoko leaped down from the hole that Thor had made, ready for combat only to frown when saw what had happened.

"Aww… it's already over."

"Thank goodness for that." Said another familiar voice. Madoka dropped down from above, followed by Sayaka.

"Kyoko! Sayaka! Madoka!" Mami's eyes filled with tears as she saw them. They were okay! They were all okay!

"Mami!" Madoka and Sayaka rushed towards Mami, embracing her.

"I was so worried about you all!" Mami said, struggling to not sob as she leaned against them.

"Good to see ya' again." Kyoko said.

There was another thump as someone else dropped down. An armored woman carrying a sword and shield.

"What's the status, Sif?" Sayaka asked.

"It appears everyone is secure, well done, Thor."

"Much as I love the adoration, I can't give the credit entirely to myself. Tomoe here was the one who first led these people out of their prisons."

"I'm not really that good." Mami said. "But… thank you."

"If everyone's ready, then we really should get going." Sif said. "The liberated are waiting outside for a Bifrost to take them away from this desolate place."

"Wait!" Mami said, looking around. "Where's Nagisa?"

There was a pause, and both Madoka and Sayaka stepped away, looking uneasy.

"You haven't found her?" Mami asked.

"N-no. She's back in Asgard. But… it's just…" Madoka said.

"Just what?" Mami said.

"I don't know how to explain it." Sayaka said.

"Explain _what?!_" Mami said, growing increasingly worried.

"There's something seriously wrong with her." Kyoko said bluntly. "Nobody can figure it out. It's… best if you see it yourself."

Mami's heart sank into her stomach as any number of horrific visions of what could be happening to her raced through her head. Her mother had cancer. Risks of cancer were hereditary, it could be that. Or maybe she had caught some sort of alien illness, something her body would have no means of fighting off.

She numbly let the others lead her out of the ship, to where the others were waiting. There, she turned to where they were facing, a part of the station that opened to space. She heard Thor say. "Heimdall. When you're ready."

Suddenly, there was a burst of multicolored light, and Mami was whisked away.

* * *

Though the ships alerts sounded in his ears, it was not what awoke him from his long slumber. Instead, he _felt_ it. The _Aethe_r, his birthright. That fool of an Asgardian king would have tried to destroy it, only to realize that such a task was beyond the abilities of a lesser creature like himself. So he would have sealed it away, in some distant realm beyond the ability of it's rightful owner to sense.

And so, with no other options left, he and the remainders of his people had gone into hibernation, to shield themselves from this wretched light and await a time when their holy goals were within reach. When this wretched world of light could be annihilated and restored to it's true state of primordial darkness.

His kind came from that darkness. They were old when the universe was still young. The first of their kind were not truly born unless that primal darkness could be considered a parent. The universe had a name for their kind _Svartalfar_, named after the husk world they had to live on, to call it their homeworld like the rest of the base creatures. Their true name, _Harudheeniksel_, was known only to themselves, a survivor of the era that had come before.

They thrived in that chaotic void, reigning supreme among the _Govelemefe_, but then came light, and from that light came the people, and the people had Hearts.

That light was an aberration, a blasphemy, robbing them of their supremacy and dividing their once mighty power among lesser, inferior, creatures. But someday, they were assured, a reckoning would come. A day when the _Harudheeniksel_ would one day claim back all they had lost, where the glorious darkness would once again rule the universe. Where the Dark Elf would take their rightful place ruling supreme among the mongrel peoples of the world.

And now, the day had come. Not only could he sense the Aether calling to him as well, but the Convergence was nigh as well. The Yggdrasil was blossoming, the Nine Realms that comprised it coming into alignment.

Malekith exited out of his hibernation chamber, and stepped towards a balcony near a window of his ship. He looked outside, to the asteroid belt where his ship had been concealed for the past 5 millennia. There, beyond the drifting rocks was a rich tapestry of stars. Some might have called it beautiful, but to him it was repulsive, nauseating. Still to this day, there was so much disgusting light, chasing away the wonderful darkness. The _Harudheeniksel_ had thrived in that darkness, in the age before ages. They had been rulers, gods even, able to shape the World to their will. None today could remember such a glorious time, and no surviving records confirmed those claims but they were assured it existed all the same. A time better than this weak and pathetic era.

He looked down to the lower levels of his ship. There he saw the rest of his people, also awakening from their long slumber. There were so few left, after the rest died in holy sacrifice to ensure the future of his cause. But they weren't alone. Malekith held out his hand, and saw the great darkness swirl about it. The _Govelemefe_ were still about, in this era. They would serve him once more, and the Dark Elves would claim their rightful place as overlords over the universe again.

It was then that he heard footsteps behind him. A pair of footsteps, one of which was too heavy to be from a Dark Elf.

He turned, and was indeed confused at the two figures approaching him, emerging from a Dark Vortex. One was similar to himself, a dark elf. Though he did not bear the mask and armor of his followers, electing to wear a set of armor mixed with dark robes, and he did not prostrate himself before Malekith in worship, instead standing straight and proud. He even wore a strange crown upon his head.

The second was perhaps one of the strangest of inferior life forms that had ever blighted his presence, resembling an obese two-legged feline clad in a jumpsuit with too many zippers.

"Are ya sure this feller is the one? Don't look like much to me." The feline said, crossing his arms and sneering. The creatures voice was perhaps even more offensive. Unlike the perfection that was their language of _Shiväisith_ this creatures words were base and crude.

"Who are you? Why have you brought yourself before me, creature?" Malekith demanded. Though he could speak in lesser tongues, the words were repulsive to him.

"_Creature?!_ Why you stand before the mighty Pete! I outta-" This 'Pete' was cut off when the Dark Elf soldiers immediately rushed into the room bowcasters aimed at his head.

"Uh…" The feline's confidence wavered.

"_Give the word and we will end these intruders._" Algrim spoke in their own language.

"_I wouldn't be so hasty._" The newcomer Dark Elf spoke. He communicated in the tongue of _Shiväisith_, though he spoke it with a heavy accent, and slight hesitation. It was clearly not his native tongue, strangely.

"_Then speak. Who are you, Dark Elf who does not bow before me?_"

"_I am not of your court, King Malekith. Allow me to introduce myself, I am King Astos._"

"_I did not believe there were any surviving Dark Elf kingdoms._" Malekith asked.

"_Not how you would think. I come from… _significantly_ farther away._" Astos said.

"_And yet you have come all this way._" Malekith said. "_Why? I can assume not to prostrate yourself before me._"

"_You most evidently seek to resume your war against Asgard, esteemed Malekith. Yet, your forces are reduced, while the Aesir have lost none of their formidable strength. Thus we have come to offer aid in your assault._"

"_Why?_"

"_I believe we have similar goals._" Astos said with a grin. "_Involving what is on the Realm of Asgard._"

"_The Aether. You seek the Aether._" Malekith replied. There was a brief exchange of looks among his soldiers, before they refocused their weapons on the intruders.

"_Oh no, certainly not. I assure you, the Aether, though mighty, would be useless for the goals I have in mind._"

"_Then what?_" Malekith demanded.

"_Well, we represent a sort of… _alliance_._" He said, gesturing towards himself and Pete.

"Uh… I can't understand a word ya' two are sayin'."

"An alliance?" Malekith switched from _Shiväisith_ to _Allspeech_, much the better to be heard, though the words of such an impure tongue left a foul taste in his mouth.

Astos for his part shrugged and continued. "A collection of groups seeking similar goals. I believe we are united in purpose, in darkness, in that we are enemies of Odin."

"Odin?" Malekith asked.

"Ah, I forget that you've slumbered for such a long time. Odin Borson, son and heir of your enemy Bor Burison."

Malekith snarled, his revenge against his hated enemy was denied by the ravages of time. Though he would have loved to bring his kingdom crumbling down around him, he would have to settle for destroying his legacy instead.

"Why do you seek to strike at Odin?"

"You are not the only one who seeks a prize within Asgard. Within the realm eternal is a young maiden with pink hair. A girl named Madoka Kaname."

"What value is this girl to you?"

"She's quite the interesting creature, not only is she the wielder of a Keyblade, but even stranger, she is the bearer of one of the shards of light. Her heart is a pure one, completely devoid of darkness."

Malekith frowned. He knew of these rare devices, strange key-shaped swords capable of immense magic. They were said to be truly capable of killing the creatures of darkness, where no other weapon could. But even worse was what he had said about her nature. All Hearts had darkness within them, they could make their pretensions of independence, but all things began in darkness and all would so end.

And yet, here, was the most bizarre occurrence. A Heart that rejected the natural state, an aberration, absolutely corrupted with the light.

"I see." Was all he said, though he did not entirely hide the disgust in his voice.

"And to this end. Towards knocking Odin off his golden throne, and claiming Madoka Kaname as our prize, I pledge to you the support of the Dark Elf mage-warriors under my command. Pete here is additionally on a quest for a Black Box, that may be stored within the treasure vaults of Asgard, and thus he brings the Heartless."

"The Heartless?" Malekith questioned.

"The primal creatures of darkness, born when a Heart is utterly consumed by it's darkness."

"The _Govelemenfe_." Malekith said. "I am more than familiar with these creatures."

Malekith held out his hand, and called. The darkness answered, and out of the shadows emerged one of its children. A horned, winged creature that the primitive minds of the universe would perceive as a demon from myth. At its appearance, his Dark Elf soldiers bowed slightly in reverence of the creature.

"Ah… a Pureblood."

"Pureblood?" He asked. Malekith had not heard this terminology.

"Again, you have slumbered for so long, my friend, there have been many new developments in the meantime, even among the beings of darkness." He gestured to Pete.

"Yeah, there's a ton more kindsa Heartless nowadays." Pete held out his hand, and Malikith was taken aback as he saw shadows swirl about it. This creature was attuned to the darkness as well?

Pete snapped his fingers, and there was the familiar sound as the "Heartless" emerged. These were different, however, with a strange variety of appearances. They all still bore the trademark yellow eyes though they also bore somewhere on their body a strange heart shaped crest. Though they looked more comical, Malekith was not fooled. These were indeed _Govelemenfe_ or Heartless as they were called now. The dark power within them was blatant to his senses. Impressive.

"But wait, there's more!." Astos said. When Malekith turned his attention back to him, he found the other king holding a pair of crystals. One glowed and pulsed with a roiling mixture of dark green and black with the other a mixture of red and gold. He gestured, and one of them floated towards Malekith, who took the object, and inspected it. Within that green light he could sense immense power, just waiting to be called forth.

"What is this?"

"_Magicite._ A gift from our other allies. There are many who seek to strike against Odin. The spirit contained within should help you stand against the Asgardian king." Astos grinned. "I trust we are in agreement on our goals?"

Malekith pondered his offers and then nodded. This was indeed a most fortuitous meeting, ordained in darkness.

"We are in agreement." He turned to Algrim, who saluted. "Ready the men. _We have Asgardians to kill!_"

* * *

_Thanks to The Name Of Love for beta-reading and idea sounding!_

_~Dragonexx_


End file.
